NewsClick Row: Delhi Court Grants Police Time to Reply to Chakravarty’s Bail Plea

A Delhi court on Saturday granted the city police time till November 17 to respond to the bail application of Amit Chakravarty, the head of the human resources department at NewsClick, in a case filed under the anti-terror law UAPA. The case revolves around allegations that the news portal received funding to disseminate pro-China propaganda.

Special Judge Hardeep Kaur adjourned the matter following the police’s request. On October 3, the Special Cell of the Delhi Police had apprehended Chakravarty and Prabir Purkayastha, the founder and editor-in-chief of NewsClick. Both individuals are presently in judicial custody.

According to the FIR, a substantial amount of funds was channeled from China to the news portal with the intent to “disrupt the sovereignty of India” and foster disaffection against the country. It also claimed that Purkayastha conspired with a group called the People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS) to subvert the electoral process during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Raids were conducted at 88 locations in Delhi and seven in other states on October 3, targeting the suspects mentioned in the FIR and those identified during data analysis, as indicated by the police. Additionally, approximately 300 electronic devices were confiscated from NewsClick offices and the journalists’ residences who were under scrutiny.

Following the raids, the Special Cell in Delhi and NCR interrogated 46 individuals, including nine female journalists.