In a significant development, the Delhi High Court has called for a response from the Delhi Police concerning the arrest of Prabir Purkayastha, the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of NewsClick. Purkayastha has petitioned the court for the quashing of the FIR registered against him and others. Additionally, the plea challenges a trial court order that granted remand to both Purkayastha and the HR Head of NewsClick, Amit Chakravarty.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the NewsClick founder and others, remarked,
“There are two separate petitions, I have challenged the arrest and sought quashing of the FIR. At 6 am, they took my client to a Magistrate, they knew I was the counsel but I was not told when my client was taken to the Magistrate.”
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Delhi Police, requested an adjournment, stating that several facts mentioned in the plea were unknown to him. Responding to the submissions, Justice Tushar Rao Gedela noted that the allegations did not warrant immediate relief. The matter has been scheduled for a hearing on October 9, 2023. The court also observed that the Delhi Police did not disclose the grounds for the arrest in their remand application.
Recent events have seen the Patiala House Court of Delhi allowing Purkayastha and Chakravarty access to the First Information Report. The trial court had previously granted the Delhi Police’s remand plea, leading to a seven-day police remand for the accused.
The Delhi Police has alleged that Purkayastha conspired to promote the narrative that Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh are disputed territories, collaborating with a Shanghai-based company. The remand application revealed secret inputs suggesting that Purkayastha, Neville Roy Singham (allegedly an active member of the Propaganda Department of the Communist Party of China), and other Chinese employees of the Shanghai-based company, StarStream, exchanged emails indicating their intent to portray Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh as not part of India.
The Delhi Police further claimed,
“Their attempts to tinker with the northern borders of India and to show Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh as not parts of India in maps amount to an act intended towards undermining the unity and territorial integrity of India.”
Accusations also extend to the disruption of supplies and services essential to life, abetting damage and destruction of property through the protraction of farmers’ protests and propagating a false narrative to discredit the Indian Government’s efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. The police also allege that Purkayastha conspired with the People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS) to sabotage the electoral process during the 2019 general elections.
The police have further stated that the
“People’s Dispatch Portal, owned and maintained by PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt Ltd was used for intentionally peddling these false narratives through paid news in lieu of crores of rupees of illegally routed foreign funds as part of a conspiracy.”
The Delhi Police claims to have received secret inputs indicating that foreign funds have been illegally infused into India by entities hostile to the country. These funds, amounting to crores, have allegedly been received by PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt. Ltd from Worldwide Media Holdings LLC, USA, and others.
The police have also highlighted a complex web of entities, including Worldwide Media Holdings, People Support foundation, Justice and Education Fund, GSPAN LLC, The Tricontinental Ltd Inc US, and Centro Popular De Midas, Brazil, through which funds have allegedly been routed.
The narrative further delves into Gautam Navlakha’s alleged involvement in anti-Indian activities, such as supporting banned Naxal organizations and having links with Gulam Nabi Fai, purportedly an agent of ISI of Pakistan.
