India’s Supreme Court has opened an investigation into the Pegasus spyware and whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration used the software to illegally snoop on opposition leaders, journalists, activists, tycoons, and judges. Modi has been accused of treason by the main opposition Congress party after several of the cell phone numbers of prominent Indian journalists, activists, and an opposition election strategist was included in a data leak of numbers believed to have been tracked using the Pegasus spyware by Israeli NGO Group.
In previous hearings, Lawyer Tushar Mehta stated that any software used by Modi’s administration to combat terrorism or protect national security could not be publicly named. Mehta, who represents the government, denied that any illegal espionage had taken place. The Supreme Court accepted petitions to launch the investigation after the government failed to flat-out deny that they had used Pegasus software. The order, issued earlier today, emphasized that certain actions are permitted by the government on the grounds of national security, however, the issue of spyware is serious and must be investigated.
Read More: India’s Supreme Court Orders Pegasus Probe
