NEW DELHI, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Two public interest litigations (PIL) have been filed Monday in India's Supreme Court challenging the federal government's order authorizing 10 agencies to intercept, monitor and decrypt any computer system, officials said.
"The first PIL was filed by advocate Manohar Lal Sharma seeking quashing of the government's notification allowing it to monitor computers," an official said. "The second one has been filed by advocate Amit Sahni."
The government on Thursday issued an order authorizing 10 federal agencies to intercept, monitor and decrypt all the data contained in any computer system.
The agencies notified under the new order include the Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau, Enforcement Directorate and Delhi Police commissioner among others.
The move set off a political storm with the opposition accusing the government of trying to create a "surveillance state" and federal government defending the step as an effort to prevent "any unauthorized use of these powers."
