Nihalsingh Rathod, one of the lawyers who has defended several activists accused in the Bhima Koregaon case, alleged that his phone was compromised using Pegasus spyware, in a letter sent to the technical committee appointed by the Supreme Court of India which is investigating the Pegasus scandal, according to a report by India Today. Rathod urged the committee to examine his mobile phone in the letter. He wrote that he has many reasons to believe that his phone was compromised such as his communication with WhatsApp in which the platform confirmed that his phone was indeed hacked in 2019, the report said. He also accused Indian agencies of using malicious software called NetWire to target him and other accused in the case, given the suspicious mails received by them. The letter said that he was willing to appear before the committee and called for its proceedings to be made public, as per India Today. Rathod’s allegations are likely to cast serious doubts on the National Investigation Agency’s case against the several activists accused of instigating violence at Bhima Koregaon. They also highlight the precarious nature of surveillance in India. Who else among the accused has been targeted with spyware? Several activists such as Shalini Gera, Anand Teltumbde, Bela Bhatia were contacted by WhatsApp in 2019 stating that the messaging app was used to spy upon them and at least two dozen Indian journalists and human rights activists, according to The Indian Express. There was no action taken against the NSO Group…
