Delhi’s Patiala House Court on Friday granted a 60-day extension to the city police to complete its investigation in the NewsClick case filed under the anti-terror law UAPA.
Special Judge Hardeep Kaur also extended the judicial custody of Prabir Purkayastha, the founder and Editor-in-Chief of the news portal, along with Amit Chakravarty, the Human Resources department head, until January 20, 2024.
This decision came in response on a plea moved by the Delhi Police seeking additional time to finalize their investigation.
The Special Cell of Delhi Police had apprehended Purkayastha and Chakravarty on October 3, 2023. According to the FIR, a substantial sum of funds from China was channeled to the news portal with the intention of “disrupting the sovereignty of India” and fostering disaffection against the country.
The FIR also alleged that Purkayastha conspired with a group called the People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS) to undermine the electoral process during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Raids were conducted at 88 locations in Delhi and seven in other states on October 3 targeting the individuals named in the FIR and those identified in data analysis.
The police reported the seizure of approximately 300 electronic gadgets from the offices of NewsClick and the residences of the journalists who underwent examination.
Following the raids, the Special Cell questioned 46 individuals, including nine female journalists.