The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the petitioner seeking direction to the Central government to investigate surveillance by Chinese apps of various Indian leaders, including Supreme Court judges, to approach the ministry concerned with a representation.
The bench of Chief Justice S.A. Bobde, Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian was hearing the petition filed by NGO Save Them India Foundation. The petitioner through Advocate Vishal Tiwari said China has secretly put under surveillance Indian judges (sitting and retired) of the Supreme Court and of different high courts, as well as the President and Prime Minister of India and other influential personalities. The NGO had wanted the top court to issue directions to the Union government to investigate.
Tiwari, in his petition, had sought direction to register the first information Report for Cyber terrorism and Cyber crime under sections 66F, 70, 72 and 72A of the Information and Technology Act 2000 and under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The petitioner sought that the SC should direct the respondent, UOI (Union of India), to ban the Chinese operated Digital money lending apps in India and to take Action against the NBFCs and digital money lending Apps Acting contrary to the fair practice code.
Tiwari further sought that there should be a direction to the Union of India to Enact the Draft Bill “The protection of personal Data, 2019”.
The petitioner said that China not only through one mode but by other modes like money lending apps is extracting the data of Indian citizens and storing them on its soil.
The petition said the privacy of citizens, the secrecy of judges, President of India, the Prime Minister and other thousands of authorities have become playthings for China.