New Delhi: The Centre on Friday filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court justifying the Home Ministry’s December 20 notification empowering nine central agencies and Delhi Police to snoop on anybody’s computer “in the interest of the national security”.
It claimed the notification is not for any kind of mass surveillance but to protect the legitimate state interests and the Information Technology Act ensures enough safeguards against any unwarranted invasion into the privacy of the citizens. Asserting that it doesn’t infringe upon the Right to Privacy as contended in a couple of Public Interest Litigations (PILs)it said there is no blanket permission to the agencies to intercept, monitor or decrypt information stored on any computer.
They still require permission of the competent authority in each case as per the due process of law and justification for the interception, the affidavit said. The Union Home Secretary and the state Chief Secretaries are the competent authority for the purpose. The PILs dubbed the notification as illegal and unconstitutional, noting that it may be used to harass the citizens and the leaders of the opposition parties.
