Pegasus row: SC asks parties to avoid ‘parallel debates’ on social media

The Supreme Court on Tuesday told petitioners seeking a probe into the Pegasus snooping row that they should “have faith in the system” and refrain from participating in “parallel debates on social media”.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India N V Ramana said: “Nobody should cross the limit and all will be given the opportunity in the case. We are not against debates but when the matter is in court, it should be deliberated here.” It also asked parties to answer the queries through proper debate in court and not outside.

The court also postponed further hearing on the Pegasus petitions to Monday, after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the government, sought more time.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for senior journalists N Ram and Sashi Kumar who have filed one of the petitions in the matter, said Ram was trolled on social media after the last hearing on the issue of court proceedings related to Pegasus in California.

The bench said, “This is what we are saying. We ask questions from parties. We take both parties to task. The matter should be deliberated here and it should not be debated on social media and websites. Parties should have faith in the system.”

In the last hearing on August 5, the top court had described the allegations as “serious” and had asked the parties to first supply copies of their petitions to the government counsel after which it would hear the matter again. “No doubt, the allegations are serious, if the reports are true,” the bench had observed last week although it did not issue notice to the Centre in the cases.

There are three petitions before the court in the matter, one filed by senior journalists N Ram and Shashi Kumar, another by advocate M L Sharma and a third one by CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas. Ram and Kumar have sought a probe by a sitting or former judge of the SC into the allegations.

The duo said in their plea that such “targeted surveillance” using a “military-grade spyware” is a “grossly disproportionate invasion of the right to privacy”. The petition by Brittas has sought a probe into the revelations in the media on the alleged spying and said the spyware allegations give two inferences – that it was done by the Indian government or by a foreign agency.