Modi govt must give SC details of 100 Indians spied upon through Pegasus spyware: Congress
New Delhi, Apr 12 (PTI): The Congress on Saturday demanded that the Centre put before the Supreme Court the latest revelations made in the US court that 100 Indians were spied upon using the Pegasus spyware.
Addressing a press conference here, party leader Randeep Surjewala said it was clear that the Pegasus was used to hack the cell phones of 100 Indians, and demanded a court-ordered inquiry into the matter.
"NSO, which has sold the Pegasus software, has clearly said that the spying software licences were taken by sovereign governments. It is clear that spying was done, but when will the Modi government answer on this," he said.
"Does this not prove prima facie that the (Narendra) Modi government bought the Pegasus software for spying? Who are these 100 people who were spied upon and with whose permission were their phones hacked," Surjewala said.
He said the government should also tell who gave permission to buy the software and where the money came from.
"When documents have been made public in America's court, is it not the government of India's responsibility to present the documents before the Supreme Court on April 22, so that the Court carries out a thorough investigation into this entire issue? The Modi government must give answers to these questions," he asserted.
The Congress leader said this has come out in the exchange of pleadings/documents between WhatsApp & NSO Group (owner of Pegasus) in US Court reflecting that the spyware was purchased by a "Sovereign," ie a government or its agencies.
The targets were opposition leaders, judges, journalists, even Union minister(s) and other prominent individuals, he said, adding that Rahul Gandhi had brought out the issue of Pegasus spyware being used on those in disagreement with the current Government.
Earlier, the issue snowballed into a major controversy and a full session of Parliament was wasted after the Congress and several parties in the opposition demanded a thorough investigation into the matter.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
