India's supreme court has ordered an inquiry by an independent commission into the question of whether the government used Pegasus surveillance software for illegal spying.

For the domestic opposition, civil rights activists, and the journalists who have been demanding such an inquiry in the face of stonewalling by the government, Wednesday’s ruling came as a victory.

The committee will comprise three cybersecurity experts and its work will be overseen by a retired supreme court judge. It will submit its report in two months.