Mamata says NSO got here to Bengal to promote Pegasus adware, however she rejected provide

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday stated Israeli cyber intelligence firm, NSO Group, had come to the state police division four-five years in the past, to promote their adware, Pegasus, at a price of ₹25 crore. In accordance with an ANI enter, the Trinamool Congress supremo stated she had turned down the provide because the adware might have been exploited politically and focusing on judges and officers, one thing that was unacceptable.

Banerjee has repeatedly targetted the Narendra Modi authorities on the Centre for allegedly utilizing the navy grade Israeli adware for targetting telephones of journalists, politicians, activists, businessmen, and others. She had even demanded an all-party assembly over the identical.

The Bengal authorities had ordered an inquiry into the Pegasus snooping row that had rocked the nation final yr, simply days forward of the Monsoon session of Parliament. Bengal was the primary state to take action.

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On the time, Banerjee had stated, “The Cupboard has authorized the appointment of a fee of inquiry comprising former Supreme Court docket choose, justice (retd) MB Lokur and retired chief justice of Calcutta excessive courtroom, justice (retd) Jyotirmay Bhattacharya in train of the ability conferred by part 3 of the Fee of Enquiry Act, 1952 within the matter of broadly reported unlawful hacking, monitoring, placing underneath surveillance, monitoring, recording and so on of cell phones of assorted individuals within the state of West Bengal.”