Pegasus Row: Mamata Banerjee Sets up Judicial Inquiry Commission, Shashi Tharoor Wants SC-Monitored Probe

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, July 26: Following his party line, the Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who is also the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing committee on Information Technology, has demanded a Supreme Court judge-monitored probe into the Pegasus issue even as the West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee appointed a two-member judicial inquiry commission to look into snooping of phones in her state.

Tharoor, who had earlier disfavoured a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee stating that his committee would look into all the angles of the Israeli Pegasus spyware issue, on Monday said it appeared that the government used public money for snooping on some people for its “selfish political interests.” While the Bengal chief minister had requested the apex court to take suo motu cognizance of the Pegasus issue and the former union minister P Chidambaram wanted a clarification by the prime minster Narendra Modi, Tharoor on Monday said a  Supreme Court judge-monitored probe into the snooping allegations could only satisfy the opposition. He also hinted that the opposition would continue to disrupt the Parliamentary proceedings till the government agreed to a debate on the issue. Speaking to reporters in the Parliament complex after the Lok Sabha was adjourned, Tharoor said, “We want the government to agree to a debate on the issue, but it is not ready. What we are saying is that if you (government) do not agree to this and answer our questions, then why we should allow you to transact your business.”

The Parliament session witnessed stormy scenes on Monday after the Opposition raised slogans and placards on the Pegasus snooping row and farmers’ issue. Both the Houses were adjourned twice before the houses were adjourned for the day amidst continuous opposition din.

In the Rajya Sabha, MPs belonging to the Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), and other opposition parties rushed into the well of the House raising slogans against the government. Chairman Venkaiah Naidu said members were being prevented from raising issues of public importance. “We are becoming helpless day by day,” he said. Lok Sabha ran for nearly 30 minutes taking up some questions during the Question Hour when Speaker Om Birla adjourned the proceedings till 2 PM and later for the day.

In Kolkata, just before she left for a three-day trip to Delhi where she is expected to meet various non-BJP leaders to try for an opposition joint front against the ruling party in the 2024 Parliamentary elections, Mamata Banerjee announced the setting up of a panel to probe the alleged Pegasus phone-hacking case in the state.

The panel will include retired judge of the Supreme Court Justice MV Lokur and retired chief justice of the Calcutta High Court Justice Jyotirmoy Bhattacharya. Banerjee Monday called a special Cabinet meeting where the setting up of commission of inquiry was approved.

The Bengal CM said, “The cabinet has approved the appointment of a commission of inquiry consisting of hon’ble justice M V Lokur, retired justice of Supreme Court and hon’ble justice Jyotirmoy Bhattacharya, retired Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court in exercise of power of section 3 of Commission of Inquiry Act 1952, in the matter of illegal hacking, monitoring, surveillance, tapping, recording, etc. of mobiles phones in the state of West Bengal.”

Banerjee said while she had initially hoped the central government would take steps in the Pegasus snooping row and form a neutral investigation team, when that did not happen, the state decided to form its own commission of inquiry.

The TMC MP and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee is alleged to be also in the list of Pegasus phone tapping. “[The panel is] to probe hacking and how it is being done…hope this small step will be a wake-up call to others. We want the Justices to start as soon as possible. Many people from Bengal have been tapped,” Banerjee claimed.

Banerjee said since there were “aggrieved parties” in West Bengal whose phones had been put under surveillance, the commission would investigate the matter. Last week, she urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the issue.

Launching an attack against the Centre, Banerjee had shown her mobile covered with tapes and said, “I have plastered my phone because they tap everything, be it video or audio.”

The Bengal CM alleged that the union government had put her meetings with the poll strategist Prashant Kishor under surveillance. “I told you that few days back I was in a meeting with Prashant Kishor and some others. They (government) have cloned the meeting. Prashant Kishor got his phone audited and came to know that one of our meetings was known to them (government) through Pegasus spyware,” Banerjee said at a press conference.

The Bengal CM also claimed that she was unable to speak with her counterparts in Delhi and Odisha. “Pegasus is dangerous. They are harassing people. Sometimes I cannot speak to anyone. I can’t talk to Delhi or Orissa chief minister,” Banerjee said.

“Spygiri is going on. Phones of ministers, judges are being tapped. They have finished the democratic structure. Pegasus has captured the Election Commission, judiciary, ministers and media. Instead of a democratic state, they want to convert it into a surveillance state,” Banerjee said.

The BJP, however, reacted sharply to her appointing the inquiry commission. Taking a jibe at Banerjee, BJP’s Amit Malviya said, “Why are we even surprised that Mamata Banerjee has constituted a judicial commission to investigate bogus “Pegasus Project”? Her priorities have always been warped. If only she had shown such alacrity to probe post-poll violence and investigate several Covid scams in Bengal!”

An international media consortium had stated that over 300 verified mobile phone numbers, including of two ministers, over 40 journalists, three opposition leaders besides scores of businesspersons and activists in India could have been targeted for hacking through the Pegasus spyware.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, political strategist Prashant Kishor, two Union ministers – Ashwini Vaishnaw and Prahlad Patel, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee were among those targeted by Pegasus, the spyware developed by Israeli firm NSO group, the reports had claimed.

The government, on its part, rejected allegations of snooping on politicians, journalists and others using Pegasus software in the Lok Sabha.

The government asserted that illegal surveillance was not possible with checks and balances in the country’s laws, and alleged that attempts were being made to malign Indian democracy.