Why in news
The Supreme Court questioned what was wrong if the government used Pegasus spyware against “anti-national elements” for security reasons.
Justice Surya Kant emphasized that the issue was not the use of spyware itself but against whom it was used.
SC Remarks
The court said the right to privacy must be protected, but not at the cost of national security.
Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta supported the idea, stating that terrorists do not have privacy rights.
Petitioners, including journalists and senior advocates, argued that the core issue is whether the government used Pegasus illegally on private citizens.
They asked for the release of the findings of a court-appointed technical committee that analyzed mobile phones for Pegasus infection.
Advocate Kapil Sibal cited a U.S. court ruling confirming Pegasus use in India and requested redacted versions of the committee report.
The court refused to reveal any part of the report that could affect national security.
However, the court agreed that individuals who submitted phones could be told whether their devices were infected.
Justice Kant said such confirmation could be given in a simple “yes or no” format.
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