Snoopgate probe: Role of telecom service providers to be examined

New Delhi: The Commission of Inquiry, set up to probe the snoopgate, will examine the roles of telecom service providers and whether they violated existing laws in the surveillance on a young woman in Gujarat allegedly at the behest of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. According to the Terms of Reference of the Commission of Inquiry, it will investigate if the telecom service providers complied with the laws, rules and conditions of their licence in the said instances of surveillance and interceptions of telephones relevant to the inquiry. “It will ascertain the circumstances leading to the surveillance by way of interception of telephones or otherwise of a young woman in Gujarat in August-September 2009 or any other relevant period. “To investigate the instances of unlawful interception of telephone calls in Himachal Pradesh and unlawful access to the call data records in the National Capital Territory of Delhi,” the Terms of Reference says. [caption id=“attachment_1310257” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Telecom tower. Agencies.[/caption] The Commission will determine if the rules of command and control, supervision and accountability in respect of the officers involved in the surveillance and interception of telephones were violated. It will examine whether the incidence of surveillance by way of interception of telephones is borne out by the taped conversations and whether such surveillance and interception were carried out by adhering to the statutory requirements and due authorisation under law. The Commission will identify the apparatus or instrument used for such surveillance and interceptions, wherever they exist, including those used in the said instances, the period of their placement and use and maintenance of records. It will make recommendations to the Central government as to the changes and measures needed to ensure non-recurrence of such incidents and surveillance. Yesterday, the Union Cabinet had decided to set up the Commission of Inquiry to be headed by a retired Supreme Court judge. The Commission will examine the charges of spying on a young woman in 2009 allegedly at the behest of Modi, BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate, and look into allegations of snooping on Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh as well as the leakage of call detail records of BJP leader Arun Jaitley in Delhi. PTI