“NewsClick Founder and HR Head Sent to 10-Day Judicial Custody in UAPA Case”
A Delhi court has ordered ten-day judicial custody for NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and the portal’s HR head Amit Chakraborty in a case filed under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The arrests were made on allegations of receiving funds for pro-China propaganda.
NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and the portal’s HR head, Amit Chakraborty, have been sent to ten-day judicial custody by a Delhi court in a case filed under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The arrests came after allegations surfaced that the news portal had received funds for promoting pro-China propaganda.
Last week, the Delhi High Court had declined to grant interim bail to both Purkayastha and Chakraborty, stating that the nature of the allegations against them did not warrant immediate relief. Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, addressing senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who represented the arrested individuals, remarked, “The allegations don’t seem to be of such a nature that can give you immediate relief. You may be right or wrong, but we’ll have to give them (Delhi Police) a hearing.”
The arrests and subsequent investigations stem from a New York Times report that accused the portal of being part of a global network that received financial support for promoting Chinese propaganda. NewsClick, established in 2009, faced legal troubles in 2021 when the Enforcement Directorate (ED) initiated a case based on an FIR filed by the Delhi Police’s Economic Offence Wing in 2020. The allegations included overvaluation of shares, fund diversion, and violations of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) regulations.
A year later, the ED conducted searches at the website’s premises and the residence of its founder, Prabir Purkayastha. An officer from the Delhi Police revealed that the company had allegedly received substantial funds for its services, including a significant sum of ₹1.55 crore disbursed to an electrician. The officer also pointed out that Purkayastha and Gautam Navlakha, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case, had jointly incorporated a company with an American defense supplier. Furthermore, the investigation uncovered emails exchanged between Purkayastha and Neville Roy Singham, allegedly aimed at tarnishing India’s image on the international stage.
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