OVER five hundred individuals and groups have endorsed an open letter to Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana urging the immediate intervention of the Supreme Court of India on matters pertaining to the Indian end of the international Pegasus spyware scandal..The letter requests the Supreme Court to demand of the Government of India and the NSO time-bound answers to the several pressing questions regarding the state-sponsored cyber-warfare that has been waged against Indian citizens, given the revelations of the Pegasus Project. This was an international collaborative investigation conducted by several international media and research organisations..The letter appeals to the Supreme Court to declare a moratorium on the export, sale, transfer, and use of Pegasus in India. .The signatories said they were shocked by media reports that Pegasus spyware a military-grade malware sold by the Israeli firm NSO only to whetted governments, was used to also target and surveil women students, academics, journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers, and victims of sexual violence..They were aggrieved by the findings of the Pegasus Project that the Supreme Court woman employee and members of her family were made a target of Pegasus surveillance after she had filed an affidavit complaining of sexual harassment and victimisation against the then CJI Ranjan Gogoi (now a member of the Rajya Sabha from the ruling party) in April 2019..The signatories requested the Supreme Court to adopt a gender-just sexual harassment policy in the Supreme Court and data protection and privacy policy that ensures that protection from such cyber warfare is a basic feature of the independence of the judiciary..Signatories noted that concerns for gender equality and human rights were inextricably linked to the assurance of the right to privacy and protection from surveillance..The signatories were drawn from all four corners of the country and across professions. Alongside well-known individuals who have stood steadfast for democratic reforms (Aruna Roy, Anjali Bhardwaj) and human rights (Kavita Srivastava, Teesta Setalvad, Harsh Mander), scholars and practitioners of the law and lawyers (Vrinda Grover, Kalpana Kannabiran, Jhuma Sen, Aparna Chandra, Pratiksha Baxi) eminent academics and scientists (Zoya Hasan, Niraja Gopal Jayal, Utsa Patnaik, Jayati Ghosh, Rosemary Dzivuchu, Romila Thapar, Sukanta Chaudhuri, Ram Ramaswamy), acclaimed writers (Arundhati Roy, V. Geetha, Githa Hariharan, Amit Chaudhuri), musicians and artists (TM Krishna), architects and artists (Pushpamala N., Prem Chandavarkar, Vivian Sundaram), persons in political life (Kavita Krishnan, Manoj Jha, MP), journalists (Anuradha Bhasin, Patricia Mukhim, John Dayal), the list includes hundreds of students and research scholars, researchers and academics, retired government officials, retired members of the armed forces, private entrepreneurs, RTI, human and women's rights activists, health professionals and members of social organisations..They said they reposed their trust in the Supreme Court as the CJI had assured all citizens that it was aware that citizens know that "when things go wrong, the judiciary will stand by them". This letter is therefore both an assessment that things have gone very wrong indeed as well as an appeal to the judiciary for meaningful reassurances from the Supreme Court that the promises to citizens of the rule of law, justice, equal rights, and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution still guides Indian democracy, a press release issued by them said..Here is the text of the letter along with the names of the signatories:.To .The Hon'ble Chief Justice of India, .Supreme Court of India .Respected Hon'ble Chief Justice of India,.The Pegasus spyware investigation has unveiled how its military grade malware installed on the phones of those targeted converts the device for use by a consumer to an object that spies on the individual, steals data and transmits data to unknown persons/databases. This has been defined as cyber warfare by experts in the field and it is nothing less than an act of state sponsored cyber terrorism against individuals. In this context, the Pegasus project and information in public domain raises concerns for the integrity of constitutional authorities including the independence of the Supreme Court. The investigation starkly discloses that the rights and freedoms of peoples, of which the Supreme Court is the guardian, are under grave risk..We are deeply disturbed by reports that journalists, lawyers, clients, activists, academics, students, and even complainants of sexual harassment, witnesses and their support persons were made persons of interest and targets of the Pegasus malware. Human rights activists have repeatedly asserted that such hacking as well as other kinds of abuse of office has resulted in malicious prosecution, wrongful imprisonment, custodial torture, and custodial death of political prisoners. .For women, the Pegasus scandal is deeply concerning, for speaking out against the state and men in positions of state power has meant that their lives are wrecked by such surveillance permanently. Human rights defenders have been imprisoned, and victims of sexual harassment have also not been spared such shocking forms of state sponsored cyber-crimes, which are analogous to digital forms of state terror. We are extremely disturbed by indications that targets for such hacking included the Supreme Court woman staffer who in April 2019 raised a complaint of sexual harassment and victimisation against former CJI Ranjan Gogoi, as well as 10 mobile numbers linked to her family members. The woman complainant and her family members were added to the list of targets days after she placed an affidavit detailing her complaint of sexual harassment and victimisation, before the then sitting Judges of the Supreme Court. .It is common knowledge that Pegasus software is sold by the Israeli firm NSO only to governments, ostensibly for "national security" and "counter-terrorism" purposes. It is used to hack into smartphones remotely, and then gain control over those smartphones, without the knowledge of the target. The Indian list of targets indicates that the software was used, not to counter terrorism, but to gather information on, and perhaps thereby seek to control, Opposition politicians, the judiciary, the Press, as well as activists and others in civil society. .Women all over the country demand to know: was a sexual harassment complainant, along with members of her family, subjected to such invasive hacking—and if so, to what purpose and by whom? How can any woman in India ever be expected to pursue a complaint against a hierarchical superior in the face of the chilling possibility that this may expose her and her loved ones to such a sinister criminal invasion of privacy? The Supreme Court's response to the woman's complaint in 2019 had been to set up an In-House Committee of three sitting Judges of the Supreme Court. The complainant withdrew from the said In-House Committee proceedings, stating that the Committee refused to inform her about the procedure being followed; she was not allowed to have her lawyer present; the proceedings were not recorded; and copy of her testimony was not simultaneously given to her. She also stated that she and her family members were being intimidated and followed. The In-House Committee ex-parte concluded by awarding CJI Ranjan Gogoi, a clean chit. After retiring as Chief Justice of India, Mr. Gogoi is now a Rajya Sabha M.P. from the ruling party. .The recent revelations in the Pegasus project now suggest that far from being a perpetrator of such a plot, the complainant along with her family members was the victim of an elaborate program of illegal hacking and spying. If the complainant was under such criminal duress at the time, can the proceedings of the In-House Committee really have been free and fair? The silence of the Supreme Court as an institution on these revelations is deeply troubling for women in India. There are many questions that the Government of India, the Home Ministry, Mr. Ranjan Gogoi, and the NSO must answer, but as citizens we do not have the power to command such answers from these powerful entities. The Supreme Court has the power and duty to ask these questions, and it must speak for us— just as you recently assured us while speaking at an event in mid-July, "People are confident that they will get relief and justice from the judiciary. They know that when things go wrong, the judiciary will stand by them. The Indian Supreme Court is the guardian of the largest democracy." .We hope that your office will lose no time in taking notice of this matter, and seeking time-bound answers to protect our rights and freedoms, its own credibility as an institution and in defence of our Constitution. The Indian public, and the women of India in particular, troubled by the questions as to whether any Indian entity purchased Pegasus, who that entity was, how it was paid for (given that the costs are reportedly estimated to amount Rs 1.5 crore per phone)? If it was indeed purchased, how were the targets for hacking chosen and what use was made of the information so gained? What were the admissible justifications for such targeting, and before which Constitutional authority were they presented? Which Constitutional authority oversaw or reviewed the criminal violation of privacy of so many individuals, including journalists, politicians, lawyers, human rights activists, and academics (and the SC staffer and her family members) so that they came to be on the list of Pegasus targets? We believe that the Supreme Court can only instil confidence in people's, and particularly women's minds by transparently demanding and making public all answers relating to the use of Pegasus in India. Above all, we look to the Supreme Court to declare a moratorium on the export, sale, transfer and use of Pegasus in India..We seek your assurance that the institution of the Supreme Court of India is committed to upholding conditions free of intimidation as a prerequisite for fair inquiry in all matters, including inquiry into complaints of sexual harassment in the workplace (for which, regrettably, the Supreme Court of India has yet to institute an inquiry and redressal mechanism that judiciously combines the principles underlying its Vishaka judgment and the concerns of independence of the judiciary). The Supreme Court must fulfill its institutional obligations to provide women a safe workplace, and to that end, ensure full protection to complainants, their families and lawyers from cyber warfare. .We raise the concerns we do in this letter in order to safeguard the independence of the judiciary, and its commitment to gender equality and freedoms..Sincerely yours,.A. Mangai, Marappachi Theatre Group, ChennaiA.R. Rauf, student, KishanganjAaditya Arya, student (school), Kamhera, Distt. SaharanpurAakriti, Delhi/NCRAakshat Sinha, Delhi/NCRAarthi Sridhar, BengaluruAastha Deshpande, academic, MumbaiAbdul Kalam Azad, human rights researcher, AssamAbdul Nazar, MalappuramAbhijit Gupta, academic, Jadavpur University, KolkataAbhisht Hela, lawyer, Delhi High Court, AllahabadAbou Mere, President, NNagaDAO, KohimaAchin Vanaik, academic (retired), University of Delhi, Delhi/NCRAchin Vinayak, academic, New DelhiAditi Das Gupta, KolkataAditi Gupta, AhmedabadAditi Mehta, IndoreAishwarya Visweswaran, HyderabadAkhileshwari Ramagoud, journalist (independent) and academic, SecunderabadAkshay, student, IIT Bombay, MumbaiAlbeena Shakil, academic, KolkataAlbin David Rebello, business executive, Delhi/NCRAli Zaidi, lawyer, Supreme Court of India, Delhi/NCRAlok Rai, AllahabadAmba Sanyal, Delhi/NCRAmbika The, social activist, HyderabadAmeet Parameswaran, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRAmit Chaudhuri, writer, KolkataAmit Jangid, student, Delhi/NCRAmita, lawyer, Delhi/NCRAmitabh Srivastava, theatre artiste, Delhi/NCRAmlan Dasgupta, KolkataAmmu Joseph, writer, BangaloreAmrit Wilson, South Asia Solidarity Group, LondonAmrita Johri, SNS, Delhi/NCRAnil, student, Delhi/NCRAnindita Bose, Delhi/NCRAnisha A, entrepreneur, MumbaiAnjali Bhardwaj, SNS, Delhi/NCRAnjali Monteiro, filmmaker and academic, Bardez, GoaAnjali Ojha, Delhi/NCRAnjana Mangalagiri, Delhi/NCRAnjani Kumar Sharma, AraAnkur Agraj, lawyer, PatnaAnsar Indori, lawyer, National Confederation of Human Rights Organisations, Delhi/NCRAnupama Potluri, HyderabadAnuradha Bhasin, journalist, JammuAnuradha Boonlia, IndoreAnuradha Chenoy, academic (retired), Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRAnuradha Kapoor, KolkataAnuradha Talwar, State Committee member, Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity, PO BaduAnusha Khan, researcher, MumbaiAparna Chandra, academic, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, BengaluruApeksha Priyadarshini, research scholar, Bhagat Singh Ambedkar Students Organization, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRApeksha Vora, MumbaiApoorva G., Delhi/NCRApurba Roy, KolkataArchana Chhetri, psychologist, GangtokArchana Prasad, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRAreet Kaur, doctor, MohaliArokiaraj Edward, teacher, DehradunArpita Das, publisher, Yoda Press, Delhi/NCRArun Pratap Shah, lawyer, DehradunAruna Roy, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, Village Devdungri, Distt. RajsamandArundhati Roy, writer, New DelhiAsha Dey, BengaluruAshalatha S, Makaam, HyderabadAshok Nehru, Delhi/NCRAsrarul Haque, academic, HyderabadAtul Gurtu, academic (retired), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, MumbaiAtul Sood, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRAustin Thomas, BangaloreAvani Chokshi, lawyer, AILAJ, BangaloreAvik, student, Delhi/NCRAvinash Kumar, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRAyesha Kidwai, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRAzim Khan, General Secretary, NCHRO, Delhi/NCRB.K. Choudhary, Delhi/NCRBanojyotsna Lahiri, senior researcher, Centre for Equity Studies, Delhi/NCRBeena Xavier, GhaziabadBen Imsong, social activist, KohimaBharat, JaipurBharati Jagannathan, academic, FaridabadBharti Ali, child rights activist, Delhi/NCRBharti, Trustee, Santokba trust, MumbaiBhashyam Srinivasan, BengaluruBhupender Yadav, academic (retired), Bareilly Cantt.Bishnupriya Dutt, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRBiswapriya Kanungo, lawyer, BhubaneswarBittu KR, academic, Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression, SonipatBobbeeta Sharma, General Secretary/Chairperson Media, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, GuwahatiBrinelle, academic and activist, MumbaiCedric Prakash, human rights and peace activist, AhmedabadChayanika Shah, academic (retired), Forum Against Oppression of Women, MumbaiCheryl Kharwansan, MumbaiChingkhei Saikhom, student activist, Delhi/NCRChirashree Das Gupta, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRClifton D' Rozario, lawyer, All India Lawyers Association for Justice, BangaloreDavid D'Costa, business manager, Pure Water House, BangaloreDebaditya Bhattacharya, academic, Kazi Nazrul University, AsansolDebashis Ghoshal, Delhi/NCRDebi Prasad Ghosh, govt official (retired), Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, KolkataDebjanee Ganguly, HowrahDeepa Bhargava, Delhi/NCRDeepa Vasudevan, ThrissurDeepika Sondhi, freelance communicator, Delhi/NCRDeepti Bharti, General Secretary, National Federation of Indian Women, Delhi/NCRDeepti Pradhan, BranfordDennis S, researcher, ChennaiDenzil Fernandes, Delhi/NCRDeshdeep Dhankhar, University of Hyderabad, Delhi/HyderabadDev Desai, human rights activist, ANHAD, AhmedabadDevakumar R.T., lawyer, ThiruvananthapuramDevyani Bhardwaj, education, Delhi/NCRDevyani Gupta, lawyer, Delhi/NCRDhruv Raina, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRDhruva Narayan, Founder Trustee, JANAM Foundation, PatnaDianitius George, engineer, KochiDilip D'Souza, writer, MumbaiDilip Simeon, academic and writer, Delhi/NCRDolly Thakore, media consultant, MumbaiDr. Bhat, academic, Delhi/NCRElias M, retired teacher, Tirunelveli Distt.Enakshi Nandi, Delhi/NCRFaizan Sarwar, research scholar, HyderabadG Arunima, ThiruvananthapuramG. Vijay, academic, University of Hyderabad, HyderabadGarima, student, Delhi/NCRGaurav, VadodaraGautam Dasgupta, teacher, KolkataGautam Menon, academic, SonepatGautam Mody, New Trade Union Initiative, Delhi/NCRGeeta Seshu, journalist, Free Speech Collective, MumbaiGeetha Venkataraman, academic, Ambedkar University Delhi, Delhi/NCRGeorge Monippally, Latehar, JharkhandGeorge, ThrissurGirish Kaushik, retired captain (Sr. Commander), MumbaiGitha Hariharan, writer, Delhi/NCRGovind Kelkar, academic, Delhi/NCRGyanendra Pandey, academic, AtlantaHaridas, private sector employee, ThrissurHarsh Mander, Delhi/NCRHarsh Parashar, lawyer, Delhi/NCRHasina Khan,Hima Sasidharan, researcher, GangtokHuma Khan, LucknowIndira Banerjee, research scholar, KolkataIndira Bharadwaj, mental health professional, PuneIndu Kumari, research scholar, Delhi/NCRInternational Solidarity for Academic Freedom in India (InSAF India), Europe and North America (organisation)Ira Raja, Delhi/NCRJacobshally, teacher, GoaJagdeep Chhokar, academic (retired), Delhi/NCRJames Valanarasan, GoddaJanaki Abraham, Delhi/NCRJanaki Nair, academic (retired), Jawaharlal Nehru University, BengaluruJanani, ChennaiJanet Chawla, Delhi/NCRJarjum Ete, Advisor, APWWS (CEC), ItanagarJaya Menon, academic, Shiv Nadar University, Delhi/NCRJayati Ghosh, academic, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, USA, NorthamptonJaykishan Godsora, BokaroJenny Rowena P, academic, Miranda House, University of Delhi, Delhi/NCRJessica Gupta, Delhi/NCRJhuma Sen, lawyer, KolkataJoe, HosurJohn Dayal, writer and activist, Delhi/NCRJohn Paul, social activist, Ahal, ThiruvannamalaiJoy, ThiruvananthapuramJoya Uraizee, USAJuhi Bansal, lawyer, Delhi/NCRK. Lenin Devasahaya Vinober, lawyer, Students for Social Justice, Delhi/NCRK. Menon, academic, Ambedkar University Delhi, Delhi/NCRK. Neelu, researcher, Delhi/NCRK. Padma, lawyer, Committee for Release of Political Prisoners, VisakhapatnamK. Satyanarayana, academic, HyderabadK.G. Prakash, ThiruvananthapuramK.K. Muhamed, artist, KozhikodeKalpana Kannabiran, HyderabadKalpana Sharma, journalist (independent), MumbaiKalpana Wilson, LondonKalyani Menon Sen, researcher (independent), Delhi/NCRKamalika Mukherjee, archivist, KolkataKamayani Bali Mahabal, MumbaiKamini Tankha, Delhi/NCRKaran Bali, filmmaker, MumbaiKarthik R, BangaloreKaushal Kumar, academic, Delhi/NCRKavita Gaur, academic, Delhi/NCRKavita Krishnan, Secretary, All India Progressive Women's Association, Delhi/NCRKavita Panjabi, academic, Jadavpur University, KolkataKavita Srivastava, National Secretary, People's Union for Civil Liberties, JaipurKawalpreet Kaur, lawyer, All India Students' Association, Delhi/NCRKetholelie Angami, KohimaKezia Shah, student, Delhi/NCRKh. Pou, Delhi/NCRKirti Singh, Delhi/NCRKochurani Abraham, ThrippunithuraKrishnakumar B, bank employee, AlappuzhaKrithika Radhakrishnan, BangaloreKumkum Roy, Delhi/NCRKumudini, columnist, All India Progressive Women's Association, AllahabadLaavanya, RanchiLalita Ramdas, educator and activist, Bhaimala Village, Alibag, Raigad Distt.Lara Jesani, lawyer, MumbaiLata Bhise Sonawane, State secretary, Maharashtra National Federation of Indian Women, Pimpri Chinchwad, Distt. PuneLata Singh, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRLaxmi Murthy, journalist, BengaluruLaxminarayan Ramdas, Admiral, former Chief of the Naval Staff, Bhaimala Village, Alibag, Raigad Distt.Leena Abraham, MumbaiLeena Dabiru, social activist, Delhi/NCRLeena Wadia, researcher, BengaluruLeila Kabir, BengaluruLeo Anthony Singh, National Alliance of People's Movements, Jharkhand, RanchiLiji J., ThiruvananthapuramLillette Dubey, actor/ director, MumbaiLochumbeni, DimapurLotika Singha, Stoke on Trent UKMachangbibou Chawang, DimapurMadhava Prasad, HyderabadMadhu Bhushan, BangaloreMadhu Sahni, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRMadhurima Kundu, All India Students' Association, Delhi/NCRMahabir Singh Khatri, teacher, Delhi/NCRMaimoona Mollah, President, AIDWA Delhi, Delhi/NCRMaitrayee Chaudhuri, academic, Delhi/NCRMaitreyi, BangaloreMalem Ningthouja, researcher, ImphalMalika Virdi, Uttarakhand Mahila Manch, PithoragarhMalini Subramaniam, BastarMamata Dash, Delhi/NCRMamta Jaitly, women's rights activist, Jaipur, RajasthanManju Sharma, JaipurManjula Pradeep, AhmedabadManoj Kumar Jha, Member of Parliament, Delhi/NCRManoj, lawyer, Delhi/NCRMansur Ahmed, Progressive Society, TezpurMaria Michael R, HisarMary Mitzy, lawyer, SCBA, Delhi/NCRMashruf Kamaal Adv, BijnorMaya Krishna Rao, theatre artist, Vismayah, Delhi/NCRMeena Gopal, MumbaiMeena Kandasamy, writer, UKMeera Sanghamitra, activist, National Alliance of People's Movements, HyderabadMeeta, self-employed, Jaipur.Mihika Noronha, doctor, PuneMini Mathew, lawyer, MumbaiMohammed Mustafa Ali, HyderabadMohan Rao, public health researcher, BangaloreMoushumi Basu, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRMridul, technology professional, MumbaiMuizz Drabu, lawyer, Delhi/NCRMuneer M., academic, Collegiate Education Department, Kerala, ThiruvananthapuramN. Jayaram, journalist, BangaloreN. Sai Balaji, National President, All India Students' Association, Delhi/NCRN. Venugopal, journalist, Editor, Veekshanam, HyderabadN.D. Jayaprakash, social activist, Delhi/NCRNadathur Krishnan, Panvel/RaigadNadeem Khan, United Against Hate, Delhi/NCRNandini Rao, Delhi/NCRNandita Narain, academic, Democratic Teachers' Front, University of Delhi, Delhi/NCRNandita Shah, MumbaiNarayan Bharadwaj, retired sailor, PuneNarendra Dengle, PuneNatasha Badhwar, filmmaker and author, Delhi/NCRNavdeep Mathur, AhmedabadNavsharan Singh, researcher and feminist activist, Delhi/NCRNeelakshi Suryanarayan, teacher, Delhi/NCRNeelanjana Mukhia, Delhi/NCRNeema Chaurasiya, research scholar, University of Delhi, Delhi/NCRNeeraj Malik, Delhi/NCRNeeraj, Delhi/NCRNidhi, Delhi/NCRNikhat Fatima, HyderabadNikhil Jois K. S., student, BengaluruNiloufer Bhagwat, lawyer, MumbaiNina Chandavarkar, BangaloreNingthoukhongjam Rajesh, journalist, Citizen Radio, ImphalNiraja Jayal, Delhi/NCRNirjhari Sinha, Chairperson, Jan Sangharsh Manch, AhmedabadNirmala Sharma, administrative service (retired), Justice Seekers, BengaluruNisha Biswas, KolkataNishu Kumar, academic, East Garo HillsNiti Saxena, LucknowNitin Sehgal, Delhi/NCRNivedita Menon, Delhi/NCRNupur Chowdhury, Delhi/NCRNupur Dasgupta, academic, Jadavpur University, KolkataNupur, research scholar, JaipurOishik Sircar, KolkataOishika Neogi, human rights researcher, Delhi/NCROkram Nutankumar Singh, lawyer and human rights defender, ImphalP Sundar Raj, Ariyalur Distt.Padam Kumar, lawyer, BengaluruPadma Singh, teacher, AllahabadPadmaja Shaw, HyderabadPamela Philipose, journalist, Delhi/NCRPapia Sengupta, Delhi/NCRPapori Bora, Delhi/NCRParamartha Dutta, CalcuttaParnal Chirmuley, Delhi/NCRParongama Sen, KolkataPatricia Mukhim, journalist, The Shillong Times, ShillongPaul C Jesuraja, academic (retired), Palayamkottai, TirunelveliPavan Kumar Nair, veteran, PunePhilo Thomas, Director, Women's Welfare Center, PunePoulami Ray, KalyaniPrabhat Patnaik, Professor Emeritus, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRPrabir Bose, GoaPrabir Purkayastha, science activist, Editor, Newsclick.in, Delhi/NCRPradipta Bandyopadhyay, Delhi/NCRPramod Balakrishnan, architect, ChennaiPrasenjit Bose, KolkataPratiksha Baxi, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRPrem Chandavarkar, architect, BengaluruPriyaleen Singh, Delhi/NCRPriyam, DehradunPurnima, Delhi/NCRPushpamala N., artist, BengaluruQaiser Asad, lawyer, Delhi/NCRR. Chaudhuri, KolkataR. Karthick Narayanan, MaduraiR. Ramachandran, SantiniketanRadha Sen, KolkataRadhika Chakraborty, Delhi/NCRRafiq Kidwai, architect, Delhi/NCRRahul Jacob, journalist, BengaluruRahul Nigam, academic, BITS, HyderabadRahul Roy, academic, Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi/NCRRaina Ghosh, research scholar, Delhi/NCRRajashri Dasgupta, journalist, KolkataRajeev Bhargava, Delhi/NCRRajeev R. Singh, Delhi/NCRRajeev Singha, Stoke on Trent UKRajeev Yadav, General Secretary, Rihai Manch, LucknowRajoo Barot, artist, AhmedabadRajshree Chandra, University of Delhi, Delhi/NCRRakhi Sehgal, Delhi/NCRRam Ramaswamy, Delhi/NCRRama Baru, Delhi/NCRRamani Natarajan, lawyer, ChennaiRani Day, Filmmaker, BengaluruRanjana Padhi, Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression, BhubaneswarRanjit Sabikhi, Architect, Delhi/NCRRanvijay, National Vice-President, All India Students' Association, Delhi/NCRRashmi Singh, Delhi/NCRRavi Srivastava, academic (retired), Delhi/NCRRavi Narla, self-employed, Hyderabad.Reena Ramteke, community correspondent, GariyabandRema Kandaramath, retired IT professional, Ottapalam, PalakkadRenu Kumari, student, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRRenuka Mishra, Delhi/NCRRiddhi Shah, Delhi/NCRRita Manchanda, human rights and peace activist, Delhi/NCRRitesh Kumar, AgraRitu Varuni, architect, RaigarhRituraj Pegu, research scholar, Delhi/NCRRitwik Bagchi, research scholar, KolkataRiyaz Tayyibji, AhmedabadRohini Hensman, writer and independent scholar, MumbaiRohini Mohan, BengaluruRohini Sen, KolkataRomila Thapar, Professor Emerita, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRRosemary Dzuvichu, academic, Nagaland University, KohimaRoshmi, ShillongRudi Warjri, retired Ambassador, ShillongRukmini Rao, feminist activist, HyderabadRukmini Sen, KolkataRunu Chakraborty, GhaziabadS. Sreedevi, AIIPA, ErnakulamSachidanand Sinha, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRSachin N, Common Teachers' Forum, DU, Delhi/NCRSadaf Jafar, social activist, Kalrav, LucknowSadhna, Delhi/NCRSagari R Ramdas, veterinary scientist, Food Sovereignty Alliance, India, HyderabadSaheli Women's Resource Centre, Delhi/NCR (organisation)Saibal Roy, Shikasa Bandhu, S.S.M., Mallarpur, BirbhumSajni Mukherji, academic (retired), Jadavpur University, KolkataSaket Moon, Vice-President Jawaharlal Nehru University Students, Delhi/NCRSamantak Das, academic, Jadavpur University, KolkataSameera Khan, MumbaiSamik Bandyopadhyay, publisher-editor, KolkataSamiksha Godiyal, lawyer, Delhi/NCRSamir Kumar Sahoo, BengaluruSandhya Gokhale, Forum Against Oppression of Women, MumbaiSandhya Kumari, academic, Delhi/NCRSangharsh Apte, researcher, DHRDNet, Thakurli, ThaneSanghmitra Acharya, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRSanjay Kak, filmmaker, Delhi/NCRSanjay Kanvinde, architect, Delhi/NCRSanjay Srivastava, Delhi/NCRSanjay Wategaonkar, MumbaiSapna Gupta, academic, Lords Institute of Engineering and Technology, HyderabadSarika Chaudhary, Secretary Democratic Students' Federation, Delhi/NCRSarla Kumari, social activist, PUCL Jaipur, JaipurSarmad Aziz, researcher, Delhi/NCRSarojini N., Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, Delhi/NCRSatish Varma, ErnakulamSaugata Bhaduri, Delhi/NCRSaumya Uma, SonipatSaurabh, student, ChandauliSawmi Leyri, social activist, KohimaSebastian Packiam, RamanathapuramSehba Farooqui, political activist, Delhi/NCRShabnam Hashmi, Founder, Anhad, Delhi/NCRShafaq Khab, Bhabua KaimurShahana Bhattacharya, Delhi/NCRShailesh Kumar, research scholar, University of Delhi, Delhi/NCRShambhavi Prakash, Delhi/NCRShanta Laishram, academic, Delhi/NCRSharmila Kher, Director, Foundation for child protection, Muskaan, MumbaiShatarupa Bhattacharya, academic, FaridabadSheena Choudhary, Delhi/NCRShernaz Italia, Delhi/NCRShewli Kumar, MumbaiShimreichon Luithui, UkhrulShirshava Indu, student, KolkataShivam Sharma, Delhi/NCRShivani Nag, academic, Delhi/NCRShivani, interior designer, Shivani Dogra Interiors, Delhi/NCRShubha, PondicherryShubhanshu Singh, research scholar and political activist, Delhi/NCRShuddhabrata Sengupta, artist and writer, Delhi/NCRShukla Sawant, academic and artist, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRShweta Vachani, web designer, Delhi/NCRSiddhartha Chaudhuri, Senior Research Scientist, BengaluruSima Raza, actor, MumbaiSindhuja Sankaran, academic, ChennaiSitwat Nabi, lawyer, Supreme Court of India, Delhi/NCRSoma Das, MathuraSonali Patnaik, BhubaneswarSonu Kumar, journalist, CEO, IYC News Network/Agency & Media Services, PatnaSonu Yadav, student, AllahabadSpandana B.V., student, HyderabadSrabani, researcher, Delhi/NCRSri Vamsi Mitta, theatre artist, BangaloreSrishti Mehta, student, IndoreSruti Bala, AmsterdamSubir Dey, Delhi/NCRSucharita Sen, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRSucheta Mahajan, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRSudhanva Deshpande, publisher, author, actor, LeftWord Books, Delhi/NCRSudhir Vombatkere, MysuruSudipta Bhattacharyya, academic, Visva-Bharati, SantiketanSugata Hazra, academic, Jadavpur University, KolkataSujata Gothoskar, researcher and activist, Forum Against Oppression of Women, MumbaiSujata Madhok, journalist (independent), Delhi/NCRSujata Patel, academic, PuneSujata Paul Maliah, DehradunSukanta Chaudhuri, KolkataSukanya Ghosh, artist, Delhi/KolkataSukumar Muralidharan, journalist, Delhi/NCRSuman, BangaloreSuman, Delhi/NCRSumeet Krishna, GhaziabadSumit Baudh,Academic, SonipatSuneeta Dhar, feminist activist, Delhi/NCRSunil VM, retired govt. employee, MuvattupuzhaSupriya Chaudhuri, Emeritus Professor of English, Jadavpur University, KolkataSupriya Varma, Delhi/NCRSuresh Bhat Bakrabail, MangaluruSuroor Mander, Delhi/NCRSusai Sebastian, social activist, Delhi/NCRSusan Abraham, DelhiSusan Abraham, lawyer, MumbaiSushil Khanna, academic (retired), IIM Calcutta, KolkataSushma Varma, BengaluruSuvir Kaul, Academic, PhiladelphiaSuvojit Bagchi, journalist, KolkataSvati Joshi, AhmedabadSwatija, Forum Against Oppression of Women, ThaneT M Krishna, musician and author, ChennaiT.C. Jayaprakash, Coorg Distt., MysoreTara Murali, architect, ChennaiTarek Akhtar Ansari, GuwahatiTarun Bhartiya, RAIOT Webzine, ShillongTarun Gogoi, research scholar, Delhi/NCRTarun Kumar Yadav, social activist, SaharsaTeesta Setalvad, Citizens for Justice and Peace, MumbaiThokchomcha Beejen, self-employed, KakchingThomas Antony, Delhi/NCRTrina Mukhopadhyay, KolkataTrishna S.M., lawyer, Delhi/NCRUma Chakravarti, historian and filmmaker, Delhi/NCRUrmimala Sarkar, academic, Delhi/NCRUrsila Jung, Delhi/NCRUsman Jawed, Delhi/NCRUtsa Patnaik, Professor Emerita, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRV. Geetha, writer, ChennaiV. Sujatha, Delhi/NCRVandana Mahajan, development practitioner, Delhi/NCRVandana Nanal, MumbaiVandana Prasad, public health professional, Delhi/NCRVani Subramanian, filmmaker, Delhi/NCRVanita N Mukherjee, Delhi/NCRVarghese Thomas, private sector employee, Delhi/NCRVarsha Bhargavi, Gender Sensitisation course director, Feminist Collective, HyderabadVasid Khan, State General Secretary, National Confederation of Human Rights Organizations Madhya Pradesh, BhopalVasuda Arora, mental health professional, MumbaiVasudha Nagaraj, lawyer, HyderabadVenkatesh Nayak, RTI activist, BengaluruVickram Crishna, MumbaiVidyun Sabhaney, artist, Delhi/NCRVijay Singh, Delhi/NCRVijaylakshmi, social activist, People's Union for Civil Liberties, Jaipur.Vikas Bajpai, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRVimeno Angami, Vice President Naga Women Hoho Dimapur, DimapurVinay Bharadwaj, academic (retired), University of Delhi, Delhi/NCRVincent, engineer, Irinjalakuda, TrichurVineet Tiwari, National Secretary, All india Progressive Writers' Association, IndoreVineeta Bal, academic, PuneVinod Gupta, Delhi/NCRVivan Sundaram, artist, Delhi/NCRVrinda Grover, lawyer, Delhi/NCRVrinda Ravi Kumar, BengaluruWilson Gangmei, social activist, ImphalXonzoi Barbora, MelbourneYomah Konyak, DimapurZoya Hasan, Professor Emerita, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
OVER five hundred individuals and groups have endorsed an open letter to Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana urging the immediate intervention of the Supreme Court of India on matters pertaining to the Indian end of the international Pegasus spyware scandal..The letter requests the Supreme Court to demand of the Government of India and the NSO time-bound answers to the several pressing questions regarding the state-sponsored cyber-warfare that has been waged against Indian citizens, given the revelations of the Pegasus Project. This was an international collaborative investigation conducted by several international media and research organisations..The letter appeals to the Supreme Court to declare a moratorium on the export, sale, transfer, and use of Pegasus in India. .The signatories said they were shocked by media reports that Pegasus spyware a military-grade malware sold by the Israeli firm NSO only to whetted governments, was used to also target and surveil women students, academics, journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers, and victims of sexual violence..They were aggrieved by the findings of the Pegasus Project that the Supreme Court woman employee and members of her family were made a target of Pegasus surveillance after she had filed an affidavit complaining of sexual harassment and victimisation against the then CJI Ranjan Gogoi (now a member of the Rajya Sabha from the ruling party) in April 2019..The signatories requested the Supreme Court to adopt a gender-just sexual harassment policy in the Supreme Court and data protection and privacy policy that ensures that protection from such cyber warfare is a basic feature of the independence of the judiciary..Signatories noted that concerns for gender equality and human rights were inextricably linked to the assurance of the right to privacy and protection from surveillance..The signatories were drawn from all four corners of the country and across professions. Alongside well-known individuals who have stood steadfast for democratic reforms (Aruna Roy, Anjali Bhardwaj) and human rights (Kavita Srivastava, Teesta Setalvad, Harsh Mander), scholars and practitioners of the law and lawyers (Vrinda Grover, Kalpana Kannabiran, Jhuma Sen, Aparna Chandra, Pratiksha Baxi) eminent academics and scientists (Zoya Hasan, Niraja Gopal Jayal, Utsa Patnaik, Jayati Ghosh, Rosemary Dzivuchu, Romila Thapar, Sukanta Chaudhuri, Ram Ramaswamy), acclaimed writers (Arundhati Roy, V. Geetha, Githa Hariharan, Amit Chaudhuri), musicians and artists (TM Krishna), architects and artists (Pushpamala N., Prem Chandavarkar, Vivian Sundaram), persons in political life (Kavita Krishnan, Manoj Jha, MP), journalists (Anuradha Bhasin, Patricia Mukhim, John Dayal), the list includes hundreds of students and research scholars, researchers and academics, retired government officials, retired members of the armed forces, private entrepreneurs, RTI, human and women's rights activists, health professionals and members of social organisations..They said they reposed their trust in the Supreme Court as the CJI had assured all citizens that it was aware that citizens know that "when things go wrong, the judiciary will stand by them". This letter is therefore both an assessment that things have gone very wrong indeed as well as an appeal to the judiciary for meaningful reassurances from the Supreme Court that the promises to citizens of the rule of law, justice, equal rights, and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution still guides Indian democracy, a press release issued by them said..Here is the text of the letter along with the names of the signatories:.To .The Hon'ble Chief Justice of India, .Supreme Court of India .Respected Hon'ble Chief Justice of India,.The Pegasus spyware investigation has unveiled how its military grade malware installed on the phones of those targeted converts the device for use by a consumer to an object that spies on the individual, steals data and transmits data to unknown persons/databases. This has been defined as cyber warfare by experts in the field and it is nothing less than an act of state sponsored cyber terrorism against individuals. In this context, the Pegasus project and information in public domain raises concerns for the integrity of constitutional authorities including the independence of the Supreme Court. The investigation starkly discloses that the rights and freedoms of peoples, of which the Supreme Court is the guardian, are under grave risk..We are deeply disturbed by reports that journalists, lawyers, clients, activists, academics, students, and even complainants of sexual harassment, witnesses and their support persons were made persons of interest and targets of the Pegasus malware. Human rights activists have repeatedly asserted that such hacking as well as other kinds of abuse of office has resulted in malicious prosecution, wrongful imprisonment, custodial torture, and custodial death of political prisoners. .For women, the Pegasus scandal is deeply concerning, for speaking out against the state and men in positions of state power has meant that their lives are wrecked by such surveillance permanently. Human rights defenders have been imprisoned, and victims of sexual harassment have also not been spared such shocking forms of state sponsored cyber-crimes, which are analogous to digital forms of state terror. We are extremely disturbed by indications that targets for such hacking included the Supreme Court woman staffer who in April 2019 raised a complaint of sexual harassment and victimisation against former CJI Ranjan Gogoi, as well as 10 mobile numbers linked to her family members. The woman complainant and her family members were added to the list of targets days after she placed an affidavit detailing her complaint of sexual harassment and victimisation, before the then sitting Judges of the Supreme Court. .It is common knowledge that Pegasus software is sold by the Israeli firm NSO only to governments, ostensibly for "national security" and "counter-terrorism" purposes. It is used to hack into smartphones remotely, and then gain control over those smartphones, without the knowledge of the target. The Indian list of targets indicates that the software was used, not to counter terrorism, but to gather information on, and perhaps thereby seek to control, Opposition politicians, the judiciary, the Press, as well as activists and others in civil society. .Women all over the country demand to know: was a sexual harassment complainant, along with members of her family, subjected to such invasive hacking—and if so, to what purpose and by whom? How can any woman in India ever be expected to pursue a complaint against a hierarchical superior in the face of the chilling possibility that this may expose her and her loved ones to such a sinister criminal invasion of privacy? The Supreme Court's response to the woman's complaint in 2019 had been to set up an In-House Committee of three sitting Judges of the Supreme Court. The complainant withdrew from the said In-House Committee proceedings, stating that the Committee refused to inform her about the procedure being followed; she was not allowed to have her lawyer present; the proceedings were not recorded; and copy of her testimony was not simultaneously given to her. She also stated that she and her family members were being intimidated and followed. The In-House Committee ex-parte concluded by awarding CJI Ranjan Gogoi, a clean chit. After retiring as Chief Justice of India, Mr. Gogoi is now a Rajya Sabha M.P. from the ruling party. .The recent revelations in the Pegasus project now suggest that far from being a perpetrator of such a plot, the complainant along with her family members was the victim of an elaborate program of illegal hacking and spying. If the complainant was under such criminal duress at the time, can the proceedings of the In-House Committee really have been free and fair? The silence of the Supreme Court as an institution on these revelations is deeply troubling for women in India. There are many questions that the Government of India, the Home Ministry, Mr. Ranjan Gogoi, and the NSO must answer, but as citizens we do not have the power to command such answers from these powerful entities. The Supreme Court has the power and duty to ask these questions, and it must speak for us— just as you recently assured us while speaking at an event in mid-July, "People are confident that they will get relief and justice from the judiciary. They know that when things go wrong, the judiciary will stand by them. The Indian Supreme Court is the guardian of the largest democracy." .We hope that your office will lose no time in taking notice of this matter, and seeking time-bound answers to protect our rights and freedoms, its own credibility as an institution and in defence of our Constitution. The Indian public, and the women of India in particular, troubled by the questions as to whether any Indian entity purchased Pegasus, who that entity was, how it was paid for (given that the costs are reportedly estimated to amount Rs 1.5 crore per phone)? If it was indeed purchased, how were the targets for hacking chosen and what use was made of the information so gained? What were the admissible justifications for such targeting, and before which Constitutional authority were they presented? Which Constitutional authority oversaw or reviewed the criminal violation of privacy of so many individuals, including journalists, politicians, lawyers, human rights activists, and academics (and the SC staffer and her family members) so that they came to be on the list of Pegasus targets? We believe that the Supreme Court can only instil confidence in people's, and particularly women's minds by transparently demanding and making public all answers relating to the use of Pegasus in India. Above all, we look to the Supreme Court to declare a moratorium on the export, sale, transfer and use of Pegasus in India..We seek your assurance that the institution of the Supreme Court of India is committed to upholding conditions free of intimidation as a prerequisite for fair inquiry in all matters, including inquiry into complaints of sexual harassment in the workplace (for which, regrettably, the Supreme Court of India has yet to institute an inquiry and redressal mechanism that judiciously combines the principles underlying its Vishaka judgment and the concerns of independence of the judiciary). The Supreme Court must fulfill its institutional obligations to provide women a safe workplace, and to that end, ensure full protection to complainants, their families and lawyers from cyber warfare. .We raise the concerns we do in this letter in order to safeguard the independence of the judiciary, and its commitment to gender equality and freedoms..Sincerely yours,.A. Mangai, Marappachi Theatre Group, ChennaiA.R. Rauf, student, KishanganjAaditya Arya, student (school), Kamhera, Distt. SaharanpurAakriti, Delhi/NCRAakshat Sinha, Delhi/NCRAarthi Sridhar, BengaluruAastha Deshpande, academic, MumbaiAbdul Kalam Azad, human rights researcher, AssamAbdul Nazar, MalappuramAbhijit Gupta, academic, Jadavpur University, KolkataAbhisht Hela, lawyer, Delhi High Court, AllahabadAbou Mere, President, NNagaDAO, KohimaAchin Vanaik, academic (retired), University of Delhi, Delhi/NCRAchin Vinayak, academic, New DelhiAditi Das Gupta, KolkataAditi Gupta, AhmedabadAditi Mehta, IndoreAishwarya Visweswaran, HyderabadAkhileshwari Ramagoud, journalist (independent) and academic, SecunderabadAkshay, student, IIT Bombay, MumbaiAlbeena Shakil, academic, KolkataAlbin David Rebello, business executive, Delhi/NCRAli Zaidi, lawyer, Supreme Court of India, Delhi/NCRAlok Rai, AllahabadAmba Sanyal, Delhi/NCRAmbika The, social activist, HyderabadAmeet Parameswaran, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRAmit Chaudhuri, writer, KolkataAmit Jangid, student, Delhi/NCRAmita, lawyer, Delhi/NCRAmitabh Srivastava, theatre artiste, Delhi/NCRAmlan Dasgupta, KolkataAmmu Joseph, writer, BangaloreAmrit Wilson, South Asia Solidarity Group, LondonAmrita Johri, SNS, Delhi/NCRAnil, student, Delhi/NCRAnindita Bose, Delhi/NCRAnisha A, entrepreneur, MumbaiAnjali Bhardwaj, SNS, Delhi/NCRAnjali Monteiro, filmmaker and academic, Bardez, GoaAnjali Ojha, Delhi/NCRAnjana Mangalagiri, Delhi/NCRAnjani Kumar Sharma, AraAnkur Agraj, lawyer, PatnaAnsar Indori, lawyer, National Confederation of Human Rights Organisations, Delhi/NCRAnupama Potluri, HyderabadAnuradha Bhasin, journalist, JammuAnuradha Boonlia, IndoreAnuradha Chenoy, academic (retired), Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRAnuradha Kapoor, KolkataAnuradha Talwar, State Committee member, Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity, PO BaduAnusha Khan, researcher, MumbaiAparna Chandra, academic, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, BengaluruApeksha Priyadarshini, research scholar, Bhagat Singh Ambedkar Students Organization, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRApeksha Vora, MumbaiApoorva G., Delhi/NCRApurba Roy, KolkataArchana Chhetri, psychologist, GangtokArchana Prasad, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRAreet Kaur, doctor, MohaliArokiaraj Edward, teacher, DehradunArpita Das, publisher, Yoda Press, Delhi/NCRArun Pratap Shah, lawyer, DehradunAruna Roy, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, Village Devdungri, Distt. RajsamandArundhati Roy, writer, New DelhiAsha Dey, BengaluruAshalatha S, Makaam, HyderabadAshok Nehru, Delhi/NCRAsrarul Haque, academic, HyderabadAtul Gurtu, academic (retired), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, MumbaiAtul Sood, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRAustin Thomas, BangaloreAvani Chokshi, lawyer, AILAJ, BangaloreAvik, student, Delhi/NCRAvinash Kumar, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRAyesha Kidwai, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRAzim Khan, General Secretary, NCHRO, Delhi/NCRB.K. Choudhary, Delhi/NCRBanojyotsna Lahiri, senior researcher, Centre for Equity Studies, Delhi/NCRBeena Xavier, GhaziabadBen Imsong, social activist, KohimaBharat, JaipurBharati Jagannathan, academic, FaridabadBharti Ali, child rights activist, Delhi/NCRBharti, Trustee, Santokba trust, MumbaiBhashyam Srinivasan, BengaluruBhupender Yadav, academic (retired), Bareilly Cantt.Bishnupriya Dutt, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRBiswapriya Kanungo, lawyer, BhubaneswarBittu KR, academic, Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression, SonipatBobbeeta Sharma, General Secretary/Chairperson Media, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, GuwahatiBrinelle, academic and activist, MumbaiCedric Prakash, human rights and peace activist, AhmedabadChayanika Shah, academic (retired), Forum Against Oppression of Women, MumbaiCheryl Kharwansan, MumbaiChingkhei Saikhom, student activist, Delhi/NCRChirashree Das Gupta, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRClifton D' Rozario, lawyer, All India Lawyers Association for Justice, BangaloreDavid D'Costa, business manager, Pure Water House, BangaloreDebaditya Bhattacharya, academic, Kazi Nazrul University, AsansolDebashis Ghoshal, Delhi/NCRDebi Prasad Ghosh, govt official (retired), Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, KolkataDebjanee Ganguly, HowrahDeepa Bhargava, Delhi/NCRDeepa Vasudevan, ThrissurDeepika Sondhi, freelance communicator, Delhi/NCRDeepti Bharti, General Secretary, National Federation of Indian Women, Delhi/NCRDeepti Pradhan, BranfordDennis S, researcher, ChennaiDenzil Fernandes, Delhi/NCRDeshdeep Dhankhar, University of Hyderabad, Delhi/HyderabadDev Desai, human rights activist, ANHAD, AhmedabadDevakumar R.T., lawyer, ThiruvananthapuramDevyani Bhardwaj, education, Delhi/NCRDevyani Gupta, lawyer, Delhi/NCRDhruv Raina, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRDhruva Narayan, Founder Trustee, JANAM Foundation, PatnaDianitius George, engineer, KochiDilip D'Souza, writer, MumbaiDilip Simeon, academic and writer, Delhi/NCRDolly Thakore, media consultant, MumbaiDr. Bhat, academic, Delhi/NCRElias M, retired teacher, Tirunelveli Distt.Enakshi Nandi, Delhi/NCRFaizan Sarwar, research scholar, HyderabadG Arunima, ThiruvananthapuramG. Vijay, academic, University of Hyderabad, HyderabadGarima, student, Delhi/NCRGaurav, VadodaraGautam Dasgupta, teacher, KolkataGautam Menon, academic, SonepatGautam Mody, New Trade Union Initiative, Delhi/NCRGeeta Seshu, journalist, Free Speech Collective, MumbaiGeetha Venkataraman, academic, Ambedkar University Delhi, Delhi/NCRGeorge Monippally, Latehar, JharkhandGeorge, ThrissurGirish Kaushik, retired captain (Sr. Commander), MumbaiGitha Hariharan, writer, Delhi/NCRGovind Kelkar, academic, Delhi/NCRGyanendra Pandey, academic, AtlantaHaridas, private sector employee, ThrissurHarsh Mander, Delhi/NCRHarsh Parashar, lawyer, Delhi/NCRHasina Khan,Hima Sasidharan, researcher, GangtokHuma Khan, LucknowIndira Banerjee, research scholar, KolkataIndira Bharadwaj, mental health professional, PuneIndu Kumari, research scholar, Delhi/NCRInternational Solidarity for Academic Freedom in India (InSAF India), Europe and North America (organisation)Ira Raja, Delhi/NCRJacobshally, teacher, GoaJagdeep Chhokar, academic (retired), Delhi/NCRJames Valanarasan, GoddaJanaki Abraham, Delhi/NCRJanaki Nair, academic (retired), Jawaharlal Nehru University, BengaluruJanani, ChennaiJanet Chawla, Delhi/NCRJarjum Ete, Advisor, APWWS (CEC), ItanagarJaya Menon, academic, Shiv Nadar University, Delhi/NCRJayati Ghosh, academic, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, USA, NorthamptonJaykishan Godsora, BokaroJenny Rowena P, academic, Miranda House, University of Delhi, Delhi/NCRJessica Gupta, Delhi/NCRJhuma Sen, lawyer, KolkataJoe, HosurJohn Dayal, writer and activist, Delhi/NCRJohn Paul, social activist, Ahal, ThiruvannamalaiJoy, ThiruvananthapuramJoya Uraizee, USAJuhi Bansal, lawyer, Delhi/NCRK. Lenin Devasahaya Vinober, lawyer, Students for Social Justice, Delhi/NCRK. Menon, academic, Ambedkar University Delhi, Delhi/NCRK. Neelu, researcher, Delhi/NCRK. Padma, lawyer, Committee for Release of Political Prisoners, VisakhapatnamK. Satyanarayana, academic, HyderabadK.G. Prakash, ThiruvananthapuramK.K. Muhamed, artist, KozhikodeKalpana Kannabiran, HyderabadKalpana Sharma, journalist (independent), MumbaiKalpana Wilson, LondonKalyani Menon Sen, researcher (independent), Delhi/NCRKamalika Mukherjee, archivist, KolkataKamayani Bali Mahabal, MumbaiKamini Tankha, Delhi/NCRKaran Bali, filmmaker, MumbaiKarthik R, BangaloreKaushal Kumar, academic, Delhi/NCRKavita Gaur, academic, Delhi/NCRKavita Krishnan, Secretary, All India Progressive Women's Association, Delhi/NCRKavita Panjabi, academic, Jadavpur University, KolkataKavita Srivastava, National Secretary, People's Union for Civil Liberties, JaipurKawalpreet Kaur, lawyer, All India Students' Association, Delhi/NCRKetholelie Angami, KohimaKezia Shah, student, Delhi/NCRKh. Pou, Delhi/NCRKirti Singh, Delhi/NCRKochurani Abraham, ThrippunithuraKrishnakumar B, bank employee, AlappuzhaKrithika Radhakrishnan, BangaloreKumkum Roy, Delhi/NCRKumudini, columnist, All India Progressive Women's Association, AllahabadLaavanya, RanchiLalita Ramdas, educator and activist, Bhaimala Village, Alibag, Raigad Distt.Lara Jesani, lawyer, MumbaiLata Bhise Sonawane, State secretary, Maharashtra National Federation of Indian Women, Pimpri Chinchwad, Distt. PuneLata Singh, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRLaxmi Murthy, journalist, BengaluruLaxminarayan Ramdas, Admiral, former Chief of the Naval Staff, Bhaimala Village, Alibag, Raigad Distt.Leena Abraham, MumbaiLeena Dabiru, social activist, Delhi/NCRLeena Wadia, researcher, BengaluruLeila Kabir, BengaluruLeo Anthony Singh, National Alliance of People's Movements, Jharkhand, RanchiLiji J., ThiruvananthapuramLillette Dubey, actor/ director, MumbaiLochumbeni, DimapurLotika Singha, Stoke on Trent UKMachangbibou Chawang, DimapurMadhava Prasad, HyderabadMadhu Bhushan, BangaloreMadhu Sahni, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRMadhurima Kundu, All India Students' Association, Delhi/NCRMahabir Singh Khatri, teacher, Delhi/NCRMaimoona Mollah, President, AIDWA Delhi, Delhi/NCRMaitrayee Chaudhuri, academic, Delhi/NCRMaitreyi, BangaloreMalem Ningthouja, researcher, ImphalMalika Virdi, Uttarakhand Mahila Manch, PithoragarhMalini Subramaniam, BastarMamata Dash, Delhi/NCRMamta Jaitly, women's rights activist, Jaipur, RajasthanManju Sharma, JaipurManjula Pradeep, AhmedabadManoj Kumar Jha, Member of Parliament, Delhi/NCRManoj, lawyer, Delhi/NCRMansur Ahmed, Progressive Society, TezpurMaria Michael R, HisarMary Mitzy, lawyer, SCBA, Delhi/NCRMashruf Kamaal Adv, BijnorMaya Krishna Rao, theatre artist, Vismayah, Delhi/NCRMeena Gopal, MumbaiMeena Kandasamy, writer, UKMeera Sanghamitra, activist, National Alliance of People's Movements, HyderabadMeeta, self-employed, Jaipur.Mihika Noronha, doctor, PuneMini Mathew, lawyer, MumbaiMohammed Mustafa Ali, HyderabadMohan Rao, public health researcher, BangaloreMoushumi Basu, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRMridul, technology professional, MumbaiMuizz Drabu, lawyer, Delhi/NCRMuneer M., academic, Collegiate Education Department, Kerala, ThiruvananthapuramN. Jayaram, journalist, BangaloreN. Sai Balaji, National President, All India Students' Association, Delhi/NCRN. Venugopal, journalist, Editor, Veekshanam, HyderabadN.D. Jayaprakash, social activist, Delhi/NCRNadathur Krishnan, Panvel/RaigadNadeem Khan, United Against Hate, Delhi/NCRNandini Rao, Delhi/NCRNandita Narain, academic, Democratic Teachers' Front, University of Delhi, Delhi/NCRNandita Shah, MumbaiNarayan Bharadwaj, retired sailor, PuneNarendra Dengle, PuneNatasha Badhwar, filmmaker and author, Delhi/NCRNavdeep Mathur, AhmedabadNavsharan Singh, researcher and feminist activist, Delhi/NCRNeelakshi Suryanarayan, teacher, Delhi/NCRNeelanjana Mukhia, Delhi/NCRNeema Chaurasiya, research scholar, University of Delhi, Delhi/NCRNeeraj Malik, Delhi/NCRNeeraj, Delhi/NCRNidhi, Delhi/NCRNikhat Fatima, HyderabadNikhil Jois K. S., student, BengaluruNiloufer Bhagwat, lawyer, MumbaiNina Chandavarkar, BangaloreNingthoukhongjam Rajesh, journalist, Citizen Radio, ImphalNiraja Jayal, Delhi/NCRNirjhari Sinha, Chairperson, Jan Sangharsh Manch, AhmedabadNirmala Sharma, administrative service (retired), Justice Seekers, BengaluruNisha Biswas, KolkataNishu Kumar, academic, East Garo HillsNiti Saxena, LucknowNitin Sehgal, Delhi/NCRNivedita Menon, Delhi/NCRNupur Chowdhury, Delhi/NCRNupur Dasgupta, academic, Jadavpur University, KolkataNupur, research scholar, JaipurOishik Sircar, KolkataOishika Neogi, human rights researcher, Delhi/NCROkram Nutankumar Singh, lawyer and human rights defender, ImphalP Sundar Raj, Ariyalur Distt.Padam Kumar, lawyer, BengaluruPadma Singh, teacher, AllahabadPadmaja Shaw, HyderabadPamela Philipose, journalist, Delhi/NCRPapia Sengupta, Delhi/NCRPapori Bora, Delhi/NCRParamartha Dutta, CalcuttaParnal Chirmuley, Delhi/NCRParongama Sen, KolkataPatricia Mukhim, journalist, The Shillong Times, ShillongPaul C Jesuraja, academic (retired), Palayamkottai, TirunelveliPavan Kumar Nair, veteran, PunePhilo Thomas, Director, Women's Welfare Center, PunePoulami Ray, KalyaniPrabhat Patnaik, Professor Emeritus, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRPrabir Bose, GoaPrabir Purkayastha, science activist, Editor, Newsclick.in, Delhi/NCRPradipta Bandyopadhyay, Delhi/NCRPramod Balakrishnan, architect, ChennaiPrasenjit Bose, KolkataPratiksha Baxi, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRPrem Chandavarkar, architect, BengaluruPriyaleen Singh, Delhi/NCRPriyam, DehradunPurnima, Delhi/NCRPushpamala N., artist, BengaluruQaiser Asad, lawyer, Delhi/NCRR. Chaudhuri, KolkataR. Karthick Narayanan, MaduraiR. Ramachandran, SantiniketanRadha Sen, KolkataRadhika Chakraborty, Delhi/NCRRafiq Kidwai, architect, Delhi/NCRRahul Jacob, journalist, BengaluruRahul Nigam, academic, BITS, HyderabadRahul Roy, academic, Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi/NCRRaina Ghosh, research scholar, Delhi/NCRRajashri Dasgupta, journalist, KolkataRajeev Bhargava, Delhi/NCRRajeev R. Singh, Delhi/NCRRajeev Singha, Stoke on Trent UKRajeev Yadav, General Secretary, Rihai Manch, LucknowRajoo Barot, artist, AhmedabadRajshree Chandra, University of Delhi, Delhi/NCRRakhi Sehgal, Delhi/NCRRam Ramaswamy, Delhi/NCRRama Baru, Delhi/NCRRamani Natarajan, lawyer, ChennaiRani Day, Filmmaker, BengaluruRanjana Padhi, Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression, BhubaneswarRanjit Sabikhi, Architect, Delhi/NCRRanvijay, National Vice-President, All India Students' Association, Delhi/NCRRashmi Singh, Delhi/NCRRavi Srivastava, academic (retired), Delhi/NCRRavi Narla, self-employed, Hyderabad.Reena Ramteke, community correspondent, GariyabandRema Kandaramath, retired IT professional, Ottapalam, PalakkadRenu Kumari, student, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRRenuka Mishra, Delhi/NCRRiddhi Shah, Delhi/NCRRita Manchanda, human rights and peace activist, Delhi/NCRRitesh Kumar, AgraRitu Varuni, architect, RaigarhRituraj Pegu, research scholar, Delhi/NCRRitwik Bagchi, research scholar, KolkataRiyaz Tayyibji, AhmedabadRohini Hensman, writer and independent scholar, MumbaiRohini Mohan, BengaluruRohini Sen, KolkataRomila Thapar, Professor Emerita, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRRosemary Dzuvichu, academic, Nagaland University, KohimaRoshmi, ShillongRudi Warjri, retired Ambassador, ShillongRukmini Rao, feminist activist, HyderabadRukmini Sen, KolkataRunu Chakraborty, GhaziabadS. Sreedevi, AIIPA, ErnakulamSachidanand Sinha, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRSachin N, Common Teachers' Forum, DU, Delhi/NCRSadaf Jafar, social activist, Kalrav, LucknowSadhna, Delhi/NCRSagari R Ramdas, veterinary scientist, Food Sovereignty Alliance, India, HyderabadSaheli Women's Resource Centre, Delhi/NCR (organisation)Saibal Roy, Shikasa Bandhu, S.S.M., Mallarpur, BirbhumSajni Mukherji, academic (retired), Jadavpur University, KolkataSaket Moon, Vice-President Jawaharlal Nehru University Students, Delhi/NCRSamantak Das, academic, Jadavpur University, KolkataSameera Khan, MumbaiSamik Bandyopadhyay, publisher-editor, KolkataSamiksha Godiyal, lawyer, Delhi/NCRSamir Kumar Sahoo, BengaluruSandhya Gokhale, Forum Against Oppression of Women, MumbaiSandhya Kumari, academic, Delhi/NCRSangharsh Apte, researcher, DHRDNet, Thakurli, ThaneSanghmitra Acharya, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRSanjay Kak, filmmaker, Delhi/NCRSanjay Kanvinde, architect, Delhi/NCRSanjay Srivastava, Delhi/NCRSanjay Wategaonkar, MumbaiSapna Gupta, academic, Lords Institute of Engineering and Technology, HyderabadSarika Chaudhary, Secretary Democratic Students' Federation, Delhi/NCRSarla Kumari, social activist, PUCL Jaipur, JaipurSarmad Aziz, researcher, Delhi/NCRSarojini N., Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, Delhi/NCRSatish Varma, ErnakulamSaugata Bhaduri, Delhi/NCRSaumya Uma, SonipatSaurabh, student, ChandauliSawmi Leyri, social activist, KohimaSebastian Packiam, RamanathapuramSehba Farooqui, political activist, Delhi/NCRShabnam Hashmi, Founder, Anhad, Delhi/NCRShafaq Khab, Bhabua KaimurShahana Bhattacharya, Delhi/NCRShailesh Kumar, research scholar, University of Delhi, Delhi/NCRShambhavi Prakash, Delhi/NCRShanta Laishram, academic, Delhi/NCRSharmila Kher, Director, Foundation for child protection, Muskaan, MumbaiShatarupa Bhattacharya, academic, FaridabadSheena Choudhary, Delhi/NCRShernaz Italia, Delhi/NCRShewli Kumar, MumbaiShimreichon Luithui, UkhrulShirshava Indu, student, KolkataShivam Sharma, Delhi/NCRShivani Nag, academic, Delhi/NCRShivani, interior designer, Shivani Dogra Interiors, Delhi/NCRShubha, PondicherryShubhanshu Singh, research scholar and political activist, Delhi/NCRShuddhabrata Sengupta, artist and writer, Delhi/NCRShukla Sawant, academic and artist, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRShweta Vachani, web designer, Delhi/NCRSiddhartha Chaudhuri, Senior Research Scientist, BengaluruSima Raza, actor, MumbaiSindhuja Sankaran, academic, ChennaiSitwat Nabi, lawyer, Supreme Court of India, Delhi/NCRSoma Das, MathuraSonali Patnaik, BhubaneswarSonu Kumar, journalist, CEO, IYC News Network/Agency & Media Services, PatnaSonu Yadav, student, AllahabadSpandana B.V., student, HyderabadSrabani, researcher, Delhi/NCRSri Vamsi Mitta, theatre artist, BangaloreSrishti Mehta, student, IndoreSruti Bala, AmsterdamSubir Dey, Delhi/NCRSucharita Sen, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRSucheta Mahajan, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRSudhanva Deshpande, publisher, author, actor, LeftWord Books, Delhi/NCRSudhir Vombatkere, MysuruSudipta Bhattacharyya, academic, Visva-Bharati, SantiketanSugata Hazra, academic, Jadavpur University, KolkataSujata Gothoskar, researcher and activist, Forum Against Oppression of Women, MumbaiSujata Madhok, journalist (independent), Delhi/NCRSujata Patel, academic, PuneSujata Paul Maliah, DehradunSukanta Chaudhuri, KolkataSukanya Ghosh, artist, Delhi/KolkataSukumar Muralidharan, journalist, Delhi/NCRSuman, BangaloreSuman, Delhi/NCRSumeet Krishna, GhaziabadSumit Baudh,Academic, SonipatSuneeta Dhar, feminist activist, Delhi/NCRSunil VM, retired govt. employee, MuvattupuzhaSupriya Chaudhuri, Emeritus Professor of English, Jadavpur University, KolkataSupriya Varma, Delhi/NCRSuresh Bhat Bakrabail, MangaluruSuroor Mander, Delhi/NCRSusai Sebastian, social activist, Delhi/NCRSusan Abraham, DelhiSusan Abraham, lawyer, MumbaiSushil Khanna, academic (retired), IIM Calcutta, KolkataSushma Varma, BengaluruSuvir Kaul, Academic, PhiladelphiaSuvojit Bagchi, journalist, KolkataSvati Joshi, AhmedabadSwatija, Forum Against Oppression of Women, ThaneT M Krishna, musician and author, ChennaiT.C. Jayaprakash, Coorg Distt., MysoreTara Murali, architect, ChennaiTarek Akhtar Ansari, GuwahatiTarun Bhartiya, RAIOT Webzine, ShillongTarun Gogoi, research scholar, Delhi/NCRTarun Kumar Yadav, social activist, SaharsaTeesta Setalvad, Citizens for Justice and Peace, MumbaiThokchomcha Beejen, self-employed, KakchingThomas Antony, Delhi/NCRTrina Mukhopadhyay, KolkataTrishna S.M., lawyer, Delhi/NCRUma Chakravarti, historian and filmmaker, Delhi/NCRUrmimala Sarkar, academic, Delhi/NCRUrsila Jung, Delhi/NCRUsman Jawed, Delhi/NCRUtsa Patnaik, Professor Emerita, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRV. Geetha, writer, ChennaiV. Sujatha, Delhi/NCRVandana Mahajan, development practitioner, Delhi/NCRVandana Nanal, MumbaiVandana Prasad, public health professional, Delhi/NCRVani Subramanian, filmmaker, Delhi/NCRVanita N Mukherjee, Delhi/NCRVarghese Thomas, private sector employee, Delhi/NCRVarsha Bhargavi, Gender Sensitisation course director, Feminist Collective, HyderabadVasid Khan, State General Secretary, National Confederation of Human Rights Organizations Madhya Pradesh, BhopalVasuda Arora, mental health professional, MumbaiVasudha Nagaraj, lawyer, HyderabadVenkatesh Nayak, RTI activist, BengaluruVickram Crishna, MumbaiVidyun Sabhaney, artist, Delhi/NCRVijay Singh, Delhi/NCRVijaylakshmi, social activist, People's Union for Civil Liberties, Jaipur.Vikas Bajpai, academic, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCRVimeno Angami, Vice President Naga Women Hoho Dimapur, DimapurVinay Bharadwaj, academic (retired), University of Delhi, Delhi/NCRVincent, engineer, Irinjalakuda, TrichurVineet Tiwari, National Secretary, All india Progressive Writers' Association, IndoreVineeta Bal, academic, PuneVinod Gupta, Delhi/NCRVivan Sundaram, artist, Delhi/NCRVrinda Grover, lawyer, Delhi/NCRVrinda Ravi Kumar, BengaluruWilson Gangmei, social activist, ImphalXonzoi Barbora, MelbourneYomah Konyak, DimapurZoya Hasan, Professor Emerita, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi/NCR
