Number linked to ex-Supreme Court judge, lawyers on latest Pegasus list

According to the latest report, a Rajasthan-registered mobile number previously in the name of justice Mishra was added to the database in 2019.

A mobile number once used by former Supreme Court judge Arun Mishra and the numbers of several judicial officers as well as some lawyers were in a leaked list of possible targets for mobile surveillance, according to new report on Wednesday, which came a day before the top court is scheduled to hear petitions seeking an investigation.

Arun Mishra told The Wire that he had not used the number since 2013-14.(HT Photo)

Published by The Wire, the report is part of a series of stories based on a database of numbers that may have been selected for surveillance by clients of Israel-based NSO Group, which makes the Pegasus spyware.

Dozens of numbers on the list are confirmed to have been infected and independently verified by authorities in France, which is among multiple countries to have launched an investigation.

According to the latest report, a Rajasthan-registered mobile number previously in the name of justice Mishra was added to the database in 2019. Quoting sources in the BSNL, the report states that the number was registered in the name of the retired top court judge, who now heads the National Human Rights Commission, from September 18, 2010 to September 19, 2018. Mishra told The Wire that he had not used the number since 2013-14.

The Wire report added that the mobile numbers of Supreme Court registry officials NK Gandhi and TI Rajput, both now retired, also featured on the list of potential targets.

The numbers of three lawyers, Aljo Joseph, Vjiay Aggarwal and M Thangathurai, are also reported to be in the list. While Joseph is the lawyer for AgustaWestland accused Christian Michel before Delhi courts, Aggarwal has been representing PNB scam accused Nirav Modi. Thangathurai has been associated with and working in former attorney general Mukul Rohatgi’s office for several years.

On Thursday, an SC bench led by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana will consider a bunch of nine petitions seeking a court-monitored independent investigation into the alleged snooping and to identify the entities responsible for this. Those who filed the petitions include lawyer, journalists and activists.

The purported surveillance campaign spans several countries and experts and activists say the suspects are nation-states since NSO Group has maintained that it only sells to government clients for what it says is lawful interception meant to combat crime.

A consortium of 17 news organisations have reported on what is known as the Pegasus Project. The targets include heads of states, activists, politicians, journalists and even scientists. In India, the issue has become the main reason for parliament’s ongoing monsoon session as the government has resisted the opposition’s demands for a probe.

The Union government has denied allegations related to the controversy.