New Delhi: The Centre on Friday justified in the Supreme Court its December 20, 2018, order authorising 10 Central agencies to intercept, monitor, and decrypt “any information” on computers and said there is no blanket permission for interception of such information.

In response to PILs filed challenging this order, the Centre said there are sufficient safeguards in the law to enable the agencies concerned to take prior approval before resorting to ‘snooping.’

It said the Information Technology Act required prior approval of the Union home ministry and that such cases should be restricted strictly in the interests of sovereignty or integrity of India, defence, security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states or public order, or preventing incitement.

The Centre had made it clear to the agencies that the safeguards mentioned in the act should be adhered to for interception or monitoring or decryption of information. There is no blanket permission to any agency and in each case the due procedure and process of law should be followed.