In Points: SC to hear pleas for pegasus probe today

Supreme Court, today is scheduled to hear a slew of petitions, including those filed by the Editors Guild of India, prominent journalists N Ram and Sashi Kumar, and others, demanding an independent investigation into the alleged Pegasus spying case.

The petitions also demand the apex court to direct the government to disclose whether it has obtained a license for the spyware or used it, directly or indirectly, to conduct surveillance of any kind.

The scandal included the allegations that many journalists, politicians were the target of Israeli spyware.

• According to the apex court's cause list uploaded on the website, a bench consisting of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justice Surya Kant would hear nine separate petitions on the issue of alleged government snooping on prominent citizens, politicians, and scribes using Israeli firm NSO's spyware Pegasus.
• In a plea filed two days ago, the Editors' Guild of India sought the Supreme Court to ask the government for details on the spyware contract as well as a list of people who were targeted

The guild's petition states that its members and all scribes have a responsibility to keep all branches of government responsible by seeking information, explanations, and constitutionally legitimate justifications for state action and inaction. Veteran journalist Mrinal Pande is one of the petitioners.

Also Read: “Freedom of the press must be protected”, Editors Guild approaches SC seeking probe into Pegasus snooping

• Two senior Journalists- N Ram and Sashi Kumar filed a petition in the Supreme Court demanding a probe into the matter and demanded that the matter should be investigated by a sitting or former judge.
• Two petitions were earlier filed in the Supreme Court, one by CPM MP John Brittas and the other by lawyer ML Sharma.
• 300 Indian mobile phones were on the list of potential targets in the disclosed database of NSO, which sells the spyware, according to global investigations involving many top international media.
• The list of 300 phone numbers of targets also included opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, poll strategist Prashant Kishor, businessman Anil Ambani, a former CBI chief and many more prominent faces.