NewsClick Row: Portal Founder Purkayastha and HR Head Chakravarty Moves SC Challenging Arrest

NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and its HR head Amit Chakravarty on Monday approached the Supreme Court after the Delhi High Court declined to intervene in their arrest and police custody in a case filed under the anti-terror law, UAPA.

A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, along with Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra acknowledge the submissions of senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, representing Purkayastha and Chakravarty, that the matter needed urgent hearing and asked him to circulate the case papers.

“This is the NewsClick matter. The journalists are in police custody. Here one of the accused is a 75-year-old man,” Sibal stated.

The CJI then said he will take a call on the listing.

Earlier, on October 13, the Delhi High Court rejected the plea challenging the arrest and subsequent police custody of Purkayastha and Chakravarty. Both were apprehended by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell on October 3. Subsequently, they moved the high court to challenge their arrest and seven-day police custody, seeking immediate release as interim relief.

On October 10, the trial court ordered their detention in judicial custody for 10 days.

The case against them is filed under the anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), on allegations of receiving funds to disseminate pro-China propaganda.

The FIR alleges that a substantial amount of funds from China was channeled to the news portal with the intention of “disrupting the sovereignty of India” and fomenting disaffection against the country. It further contends that Purkayastha conspired with a group, the People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS), to undermine the electoral process during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.