KOLKATA: Delhi Police commissioner Rakesh Asthana, election strategist Prashant Kishor and TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee are among the 21 people summoned by the inquiry commission set up by the Bengal government to look into the Pegasus spyware row.
The Commission comprising retired Supreme Court judge M B Lokur and former chief justice of Kolkata High Court Jyotirmoy Bhattacharya summoned the political figures, senior politicians and others to record their statement.
While announcing the commission’s formation, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said the panel would probe the illegal hacking, tracking and recording of mobile phones in Bengal.
"Many of those who were summoned have already responded and said they would turn up before the Commission for recording their statements. The process of the inquiry will soon begin,’’ said an official working with the commission.
The Opposition parties had raised hue and cry alleging the Israeli spyware was used to spook on the political leaders, journalists and others after a report had claimed Indian government had procured Pegasus. In July, the monsoon session of Parliament was washed out with both the Centre and the opposition refusing to budge from their positions.
Meanwhile, The government on Friday said there is no proposal to ban any group named NSO Group' and it does not have any information on whether the US has blacklisted the group for providing Pegasus spyware.
Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar was responding to a written question in Rajya Sabha on banning of NSO Group.
On whether the US has blacklisted NSO Group and Candiru for providing Pegasus spyware that was allegedly used to maliciously target journalists, embassy workers and activists, he said: "No such information is available in this ministry".
To a question on whether the ministry has also banned the NSO Group in India, Chandrasekhar said: "There is no proposal for banning any group named 'NSO Group' ".
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.
Responding to another question, the minister said the government is well aware of the risk and danger posed by growing phenomena of misuse of various media platform and the user harms caused as a consequence by criminals and anti-national elements.
"Government has taken appropriate steps to address the challenges of misuse of social media," he said.
(With PTI Inputs)