Amit Shah approves waivers for Israeli forensic software in India
Documents show the Home Ministry granted exemptions to 422 items, allowing agencies to bypass domestic manufacturing rules for digital extraction tools.
By Aiko Soto ·
India's Home Minister Amit Shah authorized waivers that allow government agencies to purchase foreign forensic technology, bypassing domestic procurement preferences. An investigation by the Internet Freedom Foundation revealed these exemptions cover tools from Israeli company Cellebrite and other vendors, raising questions about surveillance oversight.
A January 7 letter from the Home Ministry approved a one-year exemption for at least 422 forensic items. A separate letter dated January 20 authorized the National Investigation Agency to acquire a three-year license for Cellebrite’s Premium Tool for approximately 50 million rupees. The waiver system permits exceptions to the
make in India
program, which generally favors eligible domestic manufacturers.
The IFF identified 118 entries on the exemption list as digital and multimedia forensic products. These included Cellebrite’s Pathfinder, Inseyets On-Prem Pro, and Inseyets Offline. Other brands listed were Magnet, MSAB, Oxygen Forensics, and Belkasoft. The list also included software for cryptocurrency investigations, dark-web monitoring, and open-source intelligence. An exemption confirms a product can be procured but does not prove a completed purchase.
Tender documents show the specific capabilities authorities are seeking. A Delhi Police request for its National Cyber Forensic Laboratory sought software to bypass computer passwords and phone screen locks. The request included tools to recover deleted files, decrypt backups, and extract messaging data. Another system specification allowed access to more than 100 cloud services using credentials or login tokens recovered from devices. The scope extended to data from drones, wearables, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home devices.
Journalists and critics have reported instances where their devices were seized and processed. YouTuber Dhruv Rathee stated that police detained him before a protest in October and attempted to clone his iPhone with Cellebrite tools. Siasat Daily reporter Mohammad Aslam Hussain said footage was selectively deleted from his Samsung phone after his detention on October 10. Neither account could be independently verified by Al Jazeera.
The IFF noted that India lacks a specific statute regulating forced phone unlocking or complete data extraction. Existing criminal law seizure powers do not explicitly cover bypassing passcodes or collecting login tokens for cloud access. Supreme Court lawyer Vrinda Bhandari argued that expanding technical capabilities allows for intrusive surveillance without meaningful legislative or judicial oversight.
The government has denied allegations of unauthorised surveillance. Officials from the NIA, the Home Ministry, and state home departments in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala did not respond to requests for comment before publication.
