[ Breaking] NewsClick UAPA Case, Delhi HC Reserves Order On HR Head's Bail Plea

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

The Delhi High Court reserved its order on the bail plea of the HR head of NewsClick in a case filed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The hearing pertains to the arrest of the HR head in connection with the NewsClick case. The court’s decision on the bail plea is awaited, as the case continues to attract attention and scrutiny.

[ NewsClick UAPA Case] Delhi HC Reserves Order on NewsClick HR Head's Bail Plea — [ NewsClick UAPA Case] Delhi HC Reserves Order on NewsClick HR Head’s Bail Plea

New Delhi: On May 3: The Delhi High Court reserved its order on the bail plea of Amit Chakravarty, the Human Resources Department Chief of NewsClick, who is involved in a case under the anti-terror law UAPA. The charges against the news portal allege that it received funds to promote pro-China propaganda.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma reserved the order after Chakravarty’s counsel argued that the chargesheet had already been filed and that the petitioner had turned approver and become a prosecution witness.

Chakravarty’s lawyer further highlighted that the High court has the discretionary power under section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to grant him bail. The counsel representing the Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed the court that the prosecution had no objection to granting relief to the accused.

Chakravarty has been granted pardon in the case by the trial court and is actively cooperating with the investigation. In fact, in January, the trial court allowed him to turn approver and extend pardon. Chakravarty claims to possess crucial information about the case, which he is willing to disclose to the Delhi Police.

Background:

The Special Cell of the Delhi Police arrested NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakravarty on October 3 last year. Both individuals are presently in judicial custody. The First Information Report (FIR) states that a considerable amount of funds were received from China by the news portal with the intention to disrupt India’s sovereignty and foster anti-national sentiments.

Prabir Purkayastha was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on allegations of receiving Chinese funding to promote anti-national propaganda. He had challenged his arrest in the Supreme Court, disputing the Delhi High Court’s decision to uphold the trial court’s order of remanding him to police custody. Purkayastha sought bail on medical grounds and questioned the accuracy of the prison authorities’ report on his health condition.

Purkayastha’s arrest is based on allegations of receiving funds from China to propagate anti-national sentiments through NewsClick. Along with Purkayastha, Amit Chakravarty, the head of NewsClick’s human resources department, was also arrested. Chakravarty subsequently withdrew his petition against the arrest and was granted permission by a Delhi court to turn approver in the case.

Furthermore, the FIR accuses Prabir Purkayastha of conspiring with the People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS) to sabotage the electoral process during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. In connection with the case, raids were conducted at 88 locations in Delhi and seven in other states. The police, during the raids, seized approximately 300 electronic gadgets from NewsClick’s offices and the residences of the journalists involved.

The Delhi High Court earlier rejected the pleas of Purkayastha and Chakravarty, stating that serious offenses affecting national security had been alleged against them, thus declining to grant any favorable orders.

The investigation by the Special Cell also involved the questioning of 46 individuals, including nine female journalists, subsequent to the raids.

The High Court dismissed their requests, stating that

Due to the serious allegations of offenses impacting stability, integrity, sovereignty, and national security against the petitioner, it is not inclined to grant any favorable orders.