New Delhi, Aug 3 (IANS) The Editors Guild of India has moved the Supreme Court seeking an SIT probe into the alleged Pegasus snooping allegations and also a disclosure from the Centre on the alleged use of spyware for hacking and surveillance between 2017 and 2021.
The journalists body also sought issuance of guidelines on surveillance on Indian citizens and safeguarding them from electronic surveillance, spying and hacking.
The plea said surveillance has a chilling effect on public actors holding the government accountable and also termed it unconstitutional and illegal, as surveillance impedes the free flow of ideas and information.
The plea said: "This has a severely detrimental impact on the ability of politicians and public officials to freely exercise their freedom of profession."
The plea also urged the top court to declare provisions of the Indian Telegraph Act, and the Information Technology Act, allowing tapping of phones, as unconstitutional, illegal, and void.
Five journalists have also moved the Supreme Court stating the unauthorised use of surveillance by government agencies have violated their fundamental rights and they are directly affected by the use of Pegasus spyware.
The petitioners -- Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, S.N.M. Abdi, Prem Shankar Jha, Rupesh Kumar Singh, and Ipsa Shatakshi - urged the top court to issue directions to the Centre to produce and disclose all materials and documents, with respect to all investigation, authorisation, and orders pertaining to the use of Pegasus on them. The petitioners alleged they were subjected to deeply intrusive surveillance and hacking by government or some other third party.
Petitions in the matter have also been filed by advocate M.L. Sharma, CPI-M Rajya Sabha member John Brittas, and senior journalists N. Ram and Sashi Kumar. The top court has scheduled the matter for hearing on August 5.
A video of Delhi Police Sub-Inspector Dinesh Kumar has gone viral on social media in which his daughter is seen practicing in a North West District police line shooting range in the capital with the service revolver of her father.
Delhi BJP Manoj Tiwari rubbished Swati Maliwal's allegations as an "election" stunt and added that he will react to her allegations after going through details of the matter.
Bhadauria, presently the IAF Vice Chief, will take over on October 1, succeeding Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa, who retires from service on September 30, an official statement said.
He said the proposed service charge of USD 20 on each visitor was against the Sikh ideology of allowing free access of the gurdwaras that remained in Pakistan after the Partition.
The tractor, which had an open trolley, had hit the car in which south Delhi resident Pooja Verma, a third-year post graduate medical student, was travelling with her husband and his family on the Delhi-Mathura road near Haryana.
