NewsClick Row: Patiala House Court Extends Founder & HR Head’s Judicial Custody till Dec 22

Delhi’s Patiala House Court on Friday extended the judicial custody of NewsClick’s founder and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha and Human Resources (HR) head Amit Chakravarty until December 22, 2023.

The Special cell of Delhi Police arrested them on 3^rd October under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, alleging that News Portal NewsClick received substantial funds for pro-China propaganda.

Prabir and Amit Chakravarty appeared in court on Friday after the expiration of their judicial custody period.

The Delhi Police, seeking their remand, stated that custodial interrogation was necessary to confront them with protected witnesses and examine data extracted from certain devices.

Prabir’s lawyer, Arshdeep Singh Khurana, opposed the plea for custodial remand, insisting that the authorities must reveal their findings. He questioned the delay, stating, “What were you doing for 25 days? The FIR is from August.” He emphasized the agency’s failure to question them during judicial custody, stating that interrogation could have occurred within that period.

Khurana continued to underscore his client’s standing as a journalist and raised doubts about the imposition of stringent UAPA sections. He queried the rationale behind categorizing reporting and expressing opinions, inherent to journalistic activities, as acts of terrorism.

Advocate Rohit Sharma, representing Amit Chakravarty, emphasized that his client, as the HR Head, had administrative responsibilities and was not involved in writing articles. He expressed bewilderment at his sudden arrest and reiterated his lack of responsibility for the website’s content.

The Delhi Police’s Special Cell, in its FIR against Prabir Purkayastha, alleged that NewsClick’s People’s Dispatch Portal was used for peddling false narratives through paid news in exchange for illegally routed foreign funds. The FIR claimed a conspiracy involving the infusion of foreign funds to disrupt India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The FIR contended that foreign entities, inimical to India, illegally infused funds to cause disaffection and threaten India’s unity, integrity, and security.