Congress Urges Supreme Court Inquiry Following Recent US Court Ruling on Pegasus Software
NEW DELHI: Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala on Sunday called for the Supreme Court to investigate allegations concerning the misuse of the Pegasus software for unauthorized surveillance. His remarks follow a recent verdict by a US court concerning the Israeli NSO Group, which was held accountable for hacking WhatsApp and violating its contract. The court found that NSO exploited vulnerabilities in WhatsApp to deploy spyware known as Pegasus. The case is set to proceed to trial, where damages owed to WhatsApp will be determined.
Surjewala pointed out that the US ruling suggests that around 300 WhatsApp accounts belonging to Indian users were compromised. In a post on X, he claimed, “The Pegasus spyware verdict confirms that 300 Indian WhatsApp accounts were targeted in this illicit surveillance operation.”
He called on the central government to publicly disclose the identities of those allegedly affected: “Who are the two Union ministers? Which three opposition leaders were targeted? What about journalists and business professionals? What data was accessed by the BJP government and how was it utilized?"
Surjewala also questioned whether the Supreme Court would take the US ruling into account and push for the publication of a report from the Committee of Technical Experts on Pegasus that was submitted to the court in 2021-2022. He emphasized that the Supreme Court should compel Meta (formerly Facebook) to reveal the 300 targeted individuals to bring clarity to the Pegasus issue.
He further stated, “Shouldn’t Meta now take responsibility to disclose the identities of those 300 Indians affected by Pegasus, considering that WhatsApp and Facebook boast the largest user base in India and have an obligation to safeguard their users?”
Overview of the Pegasus Controversy
The Pegasus spying scandal re-emerged as a major concern regarding state surveillance in India in 2021, following investigations by an international media consortium known as the Pegasus Project. Reports indicated that numerous phone numbers, including those of prominent individuals, were potentially targeted by the NSO Group’s spyware. Notably, figures such as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and Pralhad Patel were cited as likely victims.
This issue prompted significant unrest in Parliament, with opposition leaders demanding accountability. The Supreme Court later stated that its technical committee, after extensive forensic analysis, could not find Pegasus spyware on the mobile devices of 29 complainants but did identify malware on five of those phones.
As the legal proceedings continue, the call for transparency around the use of surveillance technologies in India remains a critical topic of discussion.
