The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has sought a probe into the alleged phone tapping of certain individuals using Israeli software Pegasus and demanded action against those responsible for the act. Party spokesman and Maharashtra cabinet minister Nawab Malik said only an inquiry will establish which agency of the central government allegedly hacked the phones of journalists, ministers and industrialists.

More than 300 verified mobile phone numbers, including two serving ministers, over 40 journalists, three opposition leaders and one sitting judge, besides scores of business persons and activists in India, could have been targeted for hacking through the Israeli spyware sold only to the government agencies, an international media consortium had reported on July 18.