Mamata Banerjee govt set up Commission of Inquiry to probe into phone hacking
Kolkata : Hours before catching a flight for New Delhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday announced setting up a ” Commission of Inquiry’ headed by former Supreme Court judge Madan Bhimrao Lokur to probe into allegations of phone hacking cases on politicians, officials, journalists and others.
” The Cabinet today approved the setting up of a Commission of Inquiry to look into the cases of hacking of mobile phones of politicians, journalists and others.” Ms Banerjee told reporters at Nabanna.
The two-member commission will be manned by former Supreme Court judge Madan Bhimrao Lokur and former Calcutta High court Chief Justice Jyotirmay Bhattacharya.
” Our state is the first to set up such a commission to look into the allegations of hacking of phones of politicians, journalists and other citizens since the Union government is not making any effort to probe such cases, ” Ms Banerjee added.
” Since I am going to Delhi today therefore our cabinet has approved such a commission to look into the cases of hackings of mobile phones of many people,” the chief minister said.
She said former Supreme Court Justice Lakur will be in the commission.
Former Chief Justice of the High Court Jyotirmoy Bhattacharya will be present. They will start working immediately, she added.
The chief minister said that she thought the Center would take an initiative in this hacking case. But, since that is not the case, her cabinet has taken this decision.
” Everyone has been kept under surveillance. For the last one week, we have been thinking that the Center will investigate during the parliamentary session. But that is not so. We have set up the commission to probe the matter,”
There were widespread allegations of snooping on politicians, officials and journalists using Israeli spyware Pegasus.
UNIÂ
