New Delhi: The Supreme Court today agreed to hear a petition filed by veteran journalists N Ram and Shashi Kumar seeking directions from the current or retired justice suo motu for an independent probe into the alleged Pegasus espionage case. Referring to the matter before a bench headed by Chief Justice (CJI) NV Ramanna and Justice Suryakant, senior advocate and Congress leader Kapil Sibal said that the civil liberties of citizens, politicians, opposition parties, journalists, and court employees have been kept under surveillance.

He emphasized that this is an issue that has become a big issue in India and the whole world and the issue needs to be heard immediately. After Sibal's arguments, the bench said it could hear the case next week. The petition filed by journalists said that large-scale surveillance using military-grade spyware violates many fundamental rights and represents an attempt to infiltrate, attack, and destabilize independent institutions, which are important pillars of the country's democratic structure.

The petitioners sought directions to the central government to disclose whether any of its agencies have obtained a license for Pegasus spyware or used it directly or indirectly for alleged monitoring.

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