NewsClick case: HC asks for Delhi Police’s reply to Prabir Purkayastha’s petition challenging UAPA FIR

The Delhi High Court has served notice to Delhi Police in response to a plea filed by Prabir Purkayastha, the founder of the NewsClick news portal. The plea seeks the quashing of an FIR registered by the Special Cell of Delhi Police under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

The plea argues that the FIR in question is a second one based on the same allegations and conspiracy alleged in the first FIR, which is already under investigation by the EOW. The court, presided over by Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma, issued notice to the respondents and scheduled the matter for July 10, 2024.

The petitioner’s lawyer, Advocate Arshdeep Singh Khurana, argued that the allegations in the FIR revolve around journalistic work by the company and may involve criticism of the government’s functioning and policies.

Purkayastha, along with Amit Chakravarty, the HR Head of the news portal, is currently in judicial custody in a case registered by Delhi Police under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, following allegations that NewsClick received funds for pro-China propaganda. In a recent development, the trial court allowed Chakravarty to turn approver in the case.

Purkayastha’s application seeking the release of his seized electronic devices was earlier dismissed by the court. Last October, Delhi Police arrested Purkayastha and Chakraborty under the provisions of UAPA, alleging that the People’s Dispatch Portal owned by PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt. Ltd. was used for peddling false narratives through paid news, involving illegally routed foreign funds as part of a conspiracy against India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The FIR also claimed that crores of foreign funds were illegally infused in India to disrupt the country’s unity, integrity, and security.