SC asks Centre to file reply on plea seeking transfer of PIL against NETRA, NATGRID surveillance systems
Oct 24, 2023
New Delhi [India], October 24 : The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Centre on a plea seeking direction to transfer a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on surveillance systems pending before the Delhi High Court to the top court.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai and Prashant Kumar Mishra on October 10 sought a response from the Centre in four weeks and listed the transfer petition filed by NGO, Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) and Software Freedom Law Centre (SFLC) on November 10.
The PIL has claimed that the citizens' right to privacy was being "endangered" by surveillance programmes like the Centralised Monitoring System (CMS), Network Traffic Analysis (NETRA) and National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID).
The PIL filed by CPIL and SFLC, pending before the High Court, has claimed that these surveillance systems allow Central and State law enforcement agencies to intercept and monitor all telecommunications in bulk which is an infringement of the fundamental right to privacy of individuals.
Under the existing legal framework there is an "insufficient oversight mechanism to authorise and review the interception and monitoring orders issued by State agencies", the NGOs have said.
They sought directions to the Centre to permanently stop the execution and the operation of the surveillance projects, CMS, NETRA and NATGRID, which allows for bulk collection and analysis of personal data.
