Live updates from the Supreme Court: Bilkis Bano case: SC issues notice to Gujarat government; According to CJI, Pegasus malware in phones is “inconclusive.”
On Thursday, the Supreme Court consented to hear a petition contesting the release of 11 criminal defendants in the Bilkis Bano case. The Gujarat government was given a notice to respond in the matter, and the petitioners were ordered to add the 11 convicted as parties to the case by the bench headed by Chief Justice of India N V Ramana, who is scheduled to retire on Friday. After two weeks, the case will be heard once more.
Separately, the Supreme Court agreed to reconsider its ruling on two issues: the sharing of the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) and the reversal of the presumption of innocence. This decision was made after hearing the review petition submitted by Congress MP Karti Chidambaram regarding its Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) ruling. The administration has been given notice to submit a response to the case.
Another CJI-led bench read the technical committee’s findings and concluded that it was “inconclusive” whether Pegasus malware was present on the examined devices. Regarding the incident involving PM Modi’s security lapse during his visit to Punjab, the CJI stated that the Ferozepur SSP failed to carry out his responsibility to uphold law and order despite having access to sufficient force.
Pegasus: SC panels recommend changing laws to safeguard individuals’ right to privacy and the country’s cyber security. The committees formed by the Supreme Court to look into Pegasus’s unauthorised usage have made a number of recommendations, including changing the law to protect citizens’ right to privacy and ensure the country’s cyber security.
A bench led by Chief Justice N V Ramana took note of the extensive report of the two panels, one technical and one overseeing committee, on Thursday. The bench had previously ordered an investigation into claims that government agencies had used Israeli spyware to target politicians, journalists, and activists for surveillance.
After a Supreme Court-appointed committee released its report on the security lapse during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Punjab in January, the BJP claimed on Thursday that the previous Congress government in Punjab had interfered with his security. Party leader and Union minister Anurag Thakur claimed there was a “plot” to conceal the fact that then-chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi and the director general of police “were AWOL” throughout Modi’s visit.
After a protester roadblock in Ferozepur on January 5 left Modi’s convoy trapped on a flyover, he returned from Punjab without attending any events. The committee to investigate the violation was established by the highest court on January 12 after declaring that these issues cannot be left to “one-sided inquiries” and require the investigation of “judicially qualified independent minds.”
