The Pegasus exposé was followed by a ruckus in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha as several MPs moved to suspend usual parliamentary business to discuss the claims of surveillance. As the Pegasus spyware controversy rages and questions are being raised of the Indian government since it was made clear by the NSO group that the product is only sold to vetted governments and agencies, Lok Sabha MP Thol. Thirumavalavan urged the Central Government to order an independent judicial investigation in this regard. Why it matters: Thirumavalavan's statements come in response to revelations of NSO Group's Pegasus spyware attack on Indians. While many are proposing to bring intelligence agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation under the ambit of parliamentary or judiciary oversight, few like Thirumavalavan have been demanding an investigation into the matter. The Indian government has not categorically denied spying on the individuals, but did cite surveillance laws and said that “allegations regarding government surveillance on specific people has no concrete basis or truth associated with it whatsoever”. Read: Pegasus Spyware: All The Latest Facts On Who Was Targeted, The Modus Operandi, And More Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) president Thirumavalavan who represents the Mangalur LS constituency in Tamil Nadu took to social media to issue a statement in this regard and said, "Supreme Court had ruled that privacy is a fundamental right, and it is illegal for Indian Govt to have used Pegasus to violate the privacy of its citizens by snooping on them. #VCK urges the Union government…
