Introduction
On 27 October 2021, the Supreme Court of India (Supreme Court)
ordered the constitution of a technical committee headed by a
retired judge of the Supreme Court to probe into the alleged use of
a spyware called Pegasus for surveillance of several citizens of
India. The judgment is of particular importance as it addresses the
larger impact of the use of surveillance technologies on the
fundamental right to privacy, protection of data and freedom of the
press, and the need to balance these rights against the security
interests of the State.
BRIEF FACTUAL BACKGROUND
The Supreme Court has passed this order in a batch of writ
petitions filed before it, under which allegations had been made
regarding misuse of Pegasus, to spy on citizens of the country. The
petitioners were also seeking an independent investigation into the
matter.
