Agencies should ensure rights not violated: Sharma in House panel meet

Investigating agencies must ensure that the rule of law is respected and citizens’ rights do not get violated when it comes to their probe, including in cases involving technology, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs’ chairman Anand Sharma observed in a meeting of the committee on Tuesday, it is learnt.

While he did not refer to any case in particular, Sharma’s remarks come at a time when the Opposition has taken on the government on the issue of arrest of climate activist Disha Ravi over a toolkit tweeted by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg on the ongoing farmers’ protest.

Sharma, it is learnt, observed that India is too large and strong a country to be overwhelmed or destabilised by a few individuals, or one or two organisations. He is learnt to have said that a country like India with robust institutions must have that inner faith and confidence.

Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, Delhi Police Commissioner S N Shrivastava and heads of Intelligence Bureau and the NIA were present at the meeting.

Sharma is learnt to have said that investigating agencies should ensure proper use of technology and keep in mind that physical evidence or cybercrime evidence must withstand judicial and forensic scrutiny.

Activist Rona Wilson, an accused in the Elgaar Parishad case, had moved a petition in Bombay High Court last week seeking quashing of the FIR and chargesheet filed against him, citing in support the report of a US-based digital consultant that says “incriminating evidence” found by investigators on his laptop were “planted”.

Sharma, it is learnt, pointed out that in today’s inter-connected digital world events taking place in India are flashed across the world and gets amplified internationally. In that context, he is learnt to have said, agencies should be careful to not go overboard or sensationalise.