The two former Supreme Court registrars who are included in the list used to work in the department where writ petitions are filed. The phone numbers of former Supreme Court Judge Arun Mishra, two former Supreme Court registrars, lawyers Vijay Aggarwal, Aljo P. Joseph and M. Thangathurai, have been featured on the list of potential targets for surveillance by Pegasus, a report by The Wire revealed. Vijay Aggarwal was the legal counsel of fugitive businessman Nirav Modi, whereas Aljo P. Joseph represented Christian Michel, the British ‘middleman’ who was extradited to India in 2018 in connection with the AgustaWestland helicopter deal case, the report said. Why it matters? According to the NSO group which developed Pegasus, the spyware is only sold to governments and their agencies to surveil criminals and terrorists. However, a recent exposé by Forbidden Stories, in association with a consortium of 16 other media outlets, has revealed that the spyware was used to (possibly) snoop on heads of state, politicians, lawyers, activists, journalists, businessmen, and so on. These revelations have major implications on the state of surveillance and privacy in India. It is also a cause of serious concern that a former Supreme Court Judge's name is a part of the list of potential targets of surveillance. The Wire has revealed the following names who were listed as potential suspects of Pegasus surveillance in India: Justice Arun Mishra: Arun Mishra is a retired Supreme Court judge who currently chairs the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). A Rajasthan-based number that was registered under Mishra’s name was…
