An investigation into alleged use of Pegasus spyware on Indian citizens identified malware on five of the 29 volunteers who submitted their devices for forensic examination.
India’s Supreme Court ordered the investigation in October 2021 after privacy advocates and opposition parties filed petitions demanding an independent probe into alleged government use of Pegasus. The petition followed reports from international investigative consortium the Pegasus Project that hundreds of prominent Indian politicians and activists may have had their phones targeted for infection with the advanced spyware, made by NSO Group. Among them, political opposition figure Rahul Gandhi.
The high court in a Thursday session did not disclose details about the nature of the malware found during the course of the investigation but Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana said New Delhi did not cooperate with investigators. India’s national government previously filed an affidavit with the court asserting it cannot disclose what software or hardware it uses as a “matter of national security.”
Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrashekhar told the Indian Express Friday that the central government has a right to intercept communications “in terms of national security to curb terrorism and other activities.”
