Our Bureau / New Delhi
The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to the Centre, returnable in four weeks, on a Delhi resident’s plea to ban use of the video-conferencing app ‘Zoom’ by both the government and individuals as it makes the users “vulnerable and prone to cyber threats”.
The Bench of Chief Justice Sharad A Bobde, and justices AS Bopanna and Hrishikesh Roy also asked the government to ensure the software used by the courts is secure. The government has already stopped use of Zoom in official communications since April 24 and warned people to take precautions in use.
Petitioner Harsh Chugh has cited a warning by Indian Computer Emergency Response Team, India’s nodal cyber security agency, on the cyber risks in using Zoom, pointing out that many organisations across the world have already banned it. He wants the govt carry out an exhaustive technical study into the security and privacy risks of using zoom app as he fears Zoom “practices data hoarding and cyber hoarding”.
The plea has feared continued use of this app might put the national security at stake and might also give a boom to number of cyber-threats and cyber crimes in India. “Zoom is reported to have a bug that can be abused intentionally to leak information of users to third parties. The app has falsely claiming calls are end-to-end encrypted when they are not,” the plea said.
Can tenant seek suspension of rent?
The Delhi High Court on Friday rejected a plea by a Khan Market tenant, seeking suspension of rent on account of force majeure due to COVID-19 lockdown. While doing so, the court discussed the law applicable to suspension of rent due to force majeure. The judgment was passed by a single judge bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh. A revision petition was filed by a tenant against an order of eviction passed by the Senior Civil Judge-cum-Rent Controller with respect to a shop in Khan Market (Baluja), Delhi. The shop was given on rent by the landlord (respondent) for commercial purposes through a lease deed executed in February 1975 at Rs300 a month. In 2008, the respondent filed an eviction petition under Section 14(1)(e) of the Delhi Rent Control Act, 1958 and a decree of eviction was passed. When the revision petition was first listed before the court, the order of eviction was stayed, subject to payment of a sum of Rs3.5 lakh per month as rent. Following the outbreak of COVID-19, an application was moved by the tenants for suspension of rent during the lockdown period.
