Nothing to do with Pegasus, WhatsApp tells in Supreme Court

NEW DELHI: WhatsApp on Monday appeared before the Supreme Court and said it has nothing to do with Pegasus.
Solicitor general Tushar Mehta said the Pegasus controversy involves technical issues and hence the government is constituting a Technical Expert Committee to examine all issuess raised in the Pegasus controversy to dispel any wrong narrative spread by certain vested interests.
"Government has nothing to hide," SG says and informs the court that eminent technical experts will be part of the committee.
Justice Aniruddha Bose, part of the three-judge bench led by CJI N V Ramana, said he had some interaction with two petitioners in a social gathering.
He asked petitioners and the government whether they have any objection to his being a part of the bench. SG and others say no objection.
An international media consortium has reported that over 300 verified Indian mobile phone numbers were on a list of potential targets for surveillance using Israeli firm NSO's Pegasus spyware.
Opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi, two Union ministers -- Prahlad Singh Patel and Railways and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw -- businessman Anil Ambani, a former CBI chief, and at least 40 journalists are on the list on the leaked database of NSO. It is, however, not established that all the phones were hacked.