The founder and Editor-in-Chief of Newsclick, Prabir Purkayastha, and the website’s HR head, Amit Chakraborty, have taken their case to the Supreme Court. They are challenging their arrest and detention under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for allegedly receiving Chinese funding to promote anti-national propaganda.
The Supreme Court bench, comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, instructed their lawyer, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, to circulate the case papers before making a decision on whether to proceed with the case. Despite their appeal, the Delhi High Court upheld the trial court’s decision to keep them in police custody, and they were subsequently moved to judicial custody.
The allegations state that a significant amount of funds from China were funneled to the news portal to destabilize India’s sovereignty and foster discontent against the nation. Additionally, the investigating agency claimed that Purkayastha colluded with a group, the People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS), to disrupt the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. However, the High Court rejected their petitions, citing the serious nature of the alleged offenses concerning the country’s stability, integrity, sovereignty, and national security.
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