Not aware of any unlawful interception of any message, says Centre

The Centre Friday informed Rajya Sabha that the government was not aware of any unlawful interception of any message of any individual.

Minister of State for Communications Devusinh Chauhan said that the government was not aware of any authorised official unlawfully intercepting any message.

To another question, the Minister said approval of the competent authority before intercepting any message.

Earlier this year, a row erupted over Israeli spyware Pegasus allegedly being used for targeted surveillance in India. In October, the Supreme Court set up a three-member independent expert panel to probe the alleged use of the spyware for targeted surveillance in India.

The apex court had also observed that the state cannot get a ''free pass'' every time the spectre of national security is raised and that its mere invocation cannot render the judiciary a ''mute spectator'' and be the bugbear it shies away from.

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