Delhi; 06 August 2021 (UMMN): BJP Gov in Centre has formally asked Rajya Sabha to disallow questions regarding snooping of the phones of journalists, activists, politicians and others, amid global controversy over the misuse of Pegasus spyware to hack phones.
According to Hindustan Times, Centre wrote to the Rajya Sabha secretariat earlier this week seeking that a “Provisionally Admitted Question”(PAQ) asked by CPI MP Binoy Viswam scheduled to be answered on August 12 in the upper house, not be allowed.
“I have been informed informally that my question was disallowed but I am yet to get a formal response... the Government is misusing Rajya Sabha rules and taking an alien stand on truth. They must face questions on the issue of the Pegasus,” said Viswam.
In his “Provisionally Admitted Question”(PAQ), reviewed by Hindustan Times, with the subject ‘Government of India MoU with Foreign Companies,’ Viswam asked: “Will the Minister of External Affairs be pleased to state (a) the number of MoUs Government has entered into with foreign companies, the details sector-wise; (b) whether any of these MoU’s with foreign companies has been in order to curb terror activities through cyber security, the details of the same; and (c) whether Government has entered into a MoU with NSO Group in order to curb terror activities through cyber security across the nation, if so, provide details thereof?”
In the letter sent to the Rajya Sabha secretariat requesting that the question not be allowed, the Centre said: “It would be noted that Part (a) to (c) of PAQ seeks to know about the ongoing issue of Pegasus owned by NSO Group. On this issue, several PILs have been filed in the Supreme Court, making this issue subjudice.”
The Pegasus row erupted on July 18 after an international investigative consortium reported that the phones of Indian ministers, politicians, activists, businessmen and journalists were among the 50,000 numbers from around the world that were potentially targeted by the Israeli company NSO Group’s phone hacking software, wrote Hindustan Times.
PDT Acharya, a former Lok Sabha general secretary said: “There have been occasions when the speaker decided that if the matter is of great public interest, even if it is subjudice, the House can discuss it... there is no external pressure on the house. The house has imposed the restriction on itself and this position has changed over a period of time... ‘subjudice’ as such has lost much of its rigour. The house has been as such liberal and they look at the importance and public interest.” “You cannot mechanically apply the rule to all subjudice matter. If public interest demands there should be discussion in the house.”
