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.
Chandigarh, June 13 (IANS) Former Indian women volleyball team captain Nirmal Kaur, the wife of legendary Olympian Milkha Singh, died at a Mohali hospital on Sunday due to complications related to Covid-19 infection, doctors said. She was 85 and is survived by her husband, a son, and three daughters.
More than 30 cyclists, who started off at Highgrove in Gloucestershire, are taking part in the 420km-long event that will see them visit some of England's most iconic royal households and palaces over four days.
A huge cache of foreign-made pistols has been seized and a smuggler, allegedly linked with Pakistan-based terror outfits and pro-Khalistani elements based in the US, Canada and the UK and operating on directions of a US-based handler, arrested, Punjab's Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta said on Friday.
The government's current approach to vaccination -- focusing on younger age groups -- "is causing huge numbers of avertable deaths and is deeply inequitable, both between age groups and within them", argue doctors and researchers in a commentary published in British medical journal fro BMJ on Wednesday.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday termed the ‘meagre MSP hike for paddy as not only grossly inadequate, but also an insult to the farmers who have been fighting for their rightful dues through their anti-farm law agitation for the past six months.
India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi says people from China, including the Chinese nationals, have been able to travel to India despite the absence of direct air connectivity.
