Delhi’s Patiala House court on Thursday sent NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and its HR department head Amit Chakravarty to judicial custody till December 1 in a case lodged under anti-terror law UAPA. Special Judge Hardeep Kaur sent both the accused individuals to jail following the expiry of their custodial interrogation by Delhi Police, granted on October 25.
On October 31, the court gave Delhi Police a 10-day period to respond to an application submitted by Purkayastha, in which he sought the return of his electronic devices that were seized during the investigation.
Both Purkayastha and Chakravarty were arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police on October 3. The Delhi Police has charged them under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), alleging that they received funds for promoting pro-China propaganda.
The FIR alleges that a significant amount of the funding came from China with the aim of undermining India’s sovereignty and inciting disaffection against the nation. It further accuses Purkayastha of conspiring with the People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS) to disrupt the electoral process during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
