The government's move to give investigating agencies sweeping powers to intercept and monitor data on computers will be examined by the Supreme Court. Allowing a batch of petitions against the Home Ministry's order that privacy activists claim is the same as "snooping", the Supreme Court today gave six weeks to the government to file its reply.

The petitions by lawyer Shreya Singhal, her co-petitioner and Trinamool Congress lawmaker Mahua Moitra, Supreme Court lawyer ML Sharma and others alleged that the government's order is against the fundamental right to privacy and must be cancelled in the interest of justice, which the court will examine now, reports NDTV.

"The order by the Home Ministry violates privacy and we so wanted a stay on it. The court has issued notice to the Home Ministry… After six weeks the Supreme Court will look into our prayer on staying the notification," Ms Singhal told NDTV in New Delhi.