Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Feb 22: Following the concerns of the Centre’s solicitor general that he would be occupied arguing a money laundering case in another court, the Supreme Court consented to hear a batch of pleas alleging usage of Israeli spyware for surveillance of certain people in India, on Friday instead of Wednesday.
According to the Supreme Court’s matter list, a bench chaired by Chief Justice N V Ramana was set to hear the Pegasus issue for the first time on Wednesday, after ordering the formation of a three-member team of cyber experts to investigate the eavesdropping accusations on October 27 last year.
“The Pegasus matters are coming up before your Lordships .. I am in part heard (matter) before court three in the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) vires matters. I will be on my legs tomorrow from 10.30… If it (Pegasus cases) can be kept on Friday instead of Wednesday,” said the lawyer.
A special bench has scheduled a hearing on February 23 for as many as 12 PILs, including those filed by the Editors Guild of India and veteran journalists N Ram and Sashi Kumar, and was expected to read and analyse the report to be filed by the supreme court-appointed panel.
The panel, which included three specialists in cyber security, digital forensics, networks, and hardware, was requested to “inquire, investigate, and determine” if Pegasus malware was used to spy on citizens, with retired apex court judge R V Raveendran overseeing the investigation.
