Notice To The State Govt On The Visit Of Officials To Israel: BHC

Notice to the state government on the visit of Maharashtra officials to Israel, accused of buying spyware like Pegasus.

The Bombay High Court on Thursday issued notice to the state govt on a PIL filed in connection with the 2019 visit of officials of Maharashtra’s DGIPR to Israel.

The counsel for the petitioner has claimed that the trip was made to buy spyware like Pegasus.

The PIL, filed by Lakshman Bura and Digambar, said that there is a possible link between the now known phone tapping cases and the visit of the officials to Israel.

The PIL has alleged that several rules allowing such foreign travel have been violated in the process.

Tejesh Dande, counsel for the petitioners, told the court, “Israel has no such expertise on web media (the subject of the study visit) that the state government officials would have benefited from it.”

“The petitioners believe that the main purpose of sending them to Israel was to obtain espionage software like Pegasus,” he said.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Dutta and Justice GS Kulkarni directed the state government, the DGIPR, and five officials to file their replies within four weeks.

All of them have been made parties in the PIL.

The petition states that after the assembly elections in Maharashtra on November 15, 2019, a delegation of five selected senior officers of DGIPR was sent on a 10-day visit to Israel to study advanced web media.

The PIL alleged that during that period there were hectic talks for government formation in the state.

Consideration should be given to the exemption of travel for those taking both doses of the Covid vaccine: Bombay High Court.

The Bombay High Court on Thursday made important suggestions regarding the first phase of getting normal life back on track amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The court said that the government may consider identifying the people who had taken both the doses of the vaccine and segregating them from others and giving them ‘common cards’ so that they can travel and do pre-Covid activities without any restrictions.

High Court told the state and central government, ‘Common Card’ can be issued to such people.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Dutta and Justice GS Kulkarni said that Maharashtra and the central government must consider issuing a ‘common card’.

The bench was hearing a bunch of PILs seeking permission to lawyers, judicial clerks and staff, journalists, and others who have had both doses of the vaccine to travel in Mumbai’s local trains.