The order is general in nature and does not mention anywhere the reasons for which it has been brought into existence by the government.

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the December 20 order allowing 10 Central agencies to snoop on people.

The petition filed by advocate Amit Sahni said the order authorised blanket surveillance where every citizen was a suspected criminal.

The order is general in nature and does not mention anywhere the reasons for which it has been brought into existence by the government.

The petition said the December 20 order allows the Central agencies to intercept, monitor and decrypt “any information” generated, transmitted, received or stored in “any computer resource” and called it the “ultimate assault on the privacy”.

The order is the “ultimate assault on the privacy” of an individual and is violative of the nine-judge Bench judgment of the Supreme Court which upheld privacy as a fundamental right and a part of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution.

The December 20 order allows the Central agencies, from the Intelligence Bureau to the Central Board of Direct Taxes to the Cabinet Secretariat (RAW) to the Commissioner of Delhi Police to intercept, monitor and decrypt “any information” generated, transmitted, received or stored in “any computer resource.”

The government order is based on Section 69 (1) of the Information Technology Act of 2000 and Rule 4 of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules, 2009.

The order has been notified despite the privacy judgment asking the government to be sensitive to the needs of and the opportunities and dangers posed to liberty in a digital world.