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.
India had an estimated 1.16 million new cancer cases in 2018, according to a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which said that one in 10 Indians would develop cancer during their lifetime and one in 15 would die of the disease.
Mahatma Gandhi's ideology was still alive, as people "who are against us (those who support the CAA) and their leaders have to go to Rajghat and pay tributes," Urmila Matondkar said
Tension spiralled in Jamia Nagar on Thursday after the class 12 student from Jewar town in Gautam Buddh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh fired a pistol.
Inspired by the imagery of Indian movies of the 1960s, the paintings of Canada-born artist Marcel Dzama at the ongoing India Art Fair reference Indian culture and include details such as Bollywood dancers and regional wildlife.
The 84-year-old Padma Shri recipient and Sahitya Akademi awardee was admitted to the intensive care unit of the hospital with acute congestion in the lungs.
