Chennai, Feb 2 (BPNS)

A Chennai-based advocate, M. Srinivasan has sent a legal notice to New York Times newspaper on its investigative news report of January 28, 2022, stating that India had purchased spyware tool Pegasus as part of a 2 billion US dollar arms deal with Israel in 2017.

The advocate who is having an office at Catholic Centre in Chennai and is practicing at Madras High Court in the legal notice which was sent by e-mail on January 31, 2022, said that the New York Times respond to the legal notice with an apology within one week or face legal consequences worth Rs 100 crore.

In the notice, the Chennai advocate said that the article has damaged the country’s reputation and that the article was not corroborative or authenticated by the NSO group of Israel and that the investigative article is mischievous and malicious.

He said that the article has mentioned Israel using the Pegasus Software for diplomatic leverage and that India’s pro –Israel vote in the United Nations was linked to the purchase of the software which was totally wrong. Advocate Srinivasan in the notice said that the then permanent representative of India in the United Nations, Syed Akbaruddin had completely denied the allegations and this proved that the article in the New York Times was intended to damage the reputation of India.

Advocate M. Srinivasan while speaking to BPNS said, “ I have already sent a legal notice through email and is expecting a response within one week, If they are not responding within the stipulated time, then I will proceed legally against this mischievous and malicious article against India as a nation.”