The Supreme Court Wednesday appointed an expert committee to look into allegations of unauthorised surveillance using the Pegasus software. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India N V Ramana and comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli said the functioning of the committee would be overseen by the Supreme Court.
The committee, which includes three technical members, would be supervised by retired judge Justice R V Raveendran. It will examine the allegations thoroughly and place a report before the court, which will hear the matter again after eight weeks.
“The state cannot get free pass everytime by raising national security concerns. No omnibus prohibition can be called against judicial review. Centre should have justified its stand here and not render the court a mute spectator,” the bench was quoted as saying by Bar and Bench.
