- Tuesday, April 16, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
THE Supreme Court of India on Tuesday (10) told petitioners asking for a probe in the ongoing Pegasus snooping row that they should “have faith in the system” and not participate in “parallel debates on social media”.
The apex court also postponed further hearing to August 16 after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who represented the Narendra Modi government, sought more time to read and respond to the petitions.
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Chief Justice NV Ramana, who led the bench that heard the petitions, reminded the petitioners and their lawyers that “when the matter is in court, it should be deliberated here”.
“Why have parallel debates? Whatever you are saying in the media… whatever queries are to be answered… once you come to this court, we expect the debate is taking place (here) and we expect they (the government) will answer the questions we put to them,” Ramana said.
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“There must be some discipline. If the petitioners want to say anything, or bring anything to the notice of the court, they can file an additional affidavit…,” he added.
The bench also comprises justices Vineet Sarana and Surya Kant.
The top court’s remarks regarding “parallel debates” came after it raised questions over an affidavit filed by veteran journalist N Ram, one of the petitioners, in last week’s hearing.
The Pegasus episode has seen allegations against the Indian government that it has conducted illegal surveillance on several public figures in the country, including opposition leaders, journalists, businesspersons and even a few serving cabinet ministers by using Israeli spyware Pegasus.
The opposition has launched a strong attack on the government in the monsoon session of the parliament over the issue, seeking a detailed discussion in the presence of Modi and investigation into the allegations.
The government has said that no illegal surveillance has been carried out and refused to order an investigation so far. The government of the state of West Bengal has, however, ordered a judicial inquiry.
The Supreme Court has said at the previous hearing that if the reports in the newspapers are true, the allegations of snooping related to Pegasus are serious.
The top court also sought the Centre’s response on petitions including those filed by the Editors Guild of India and Ram seeking an inquiry into the issue.
