Today(on 16th April), Delhi Police confirms acquisition of required sanctions under UAPA and CrPC for NewsClick Case prosecution. Special Public Prosecutor presents three sanction orders as part of supplementary chargesheet.
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DELHI: Today(on 16th April), The Delhi Police informed the Patiala House Court that they have acquired all required sanctions under Section 45 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Section 196 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to proceed with the prosecution in the NewsClick Case.
This update was presented by the Delhi Police Special Cell via their Special Public Prosecutor, Akhand Pratap Singh. The submission included the submission of three distinct sanction orders as a supplementary chargesheet under the UAPA provisions.
Recognizing these submissions, Additional Sessions Judge Dr. Hardeep Kaur has postponed the case until April 30, 2024. The judge emphasized the necessity of thoroughly examining the chargesheet before taking any further action. Filed recently by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police in the Patiala House Court, the chargesheet comprises almost 8,000 pages with annexures, indicating the extensive scope of the investigation.
In court, Special Public Prosecutors Advocate Akhand Pratap Singh and Suraj Rathi revealed that the chargesheet identified Prabir Purkayastha and PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt Ltd as the accused parties. This revelation highlights the implication of the news platform, Newsclick, and its founder, Prabir Purkayastha, in the case. The chargesheet has been filed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), enacted in 1967 to prevent unlawful activities and counter terrorism.
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The Delhi Police’s actions follow accusations that Newsclick, a prominent news portal, received significant funds for promoting pro-China propaganda. In their investigation, Amit Chakraborty, the Head of Human Resources at Newsclick, has become an approver in the case. This suggests that Chakraborty is collaborating with the authorities and offering crucial information regarding the alleged activities.
On October 3, 2023, Prabir Purkayastha, the founder and editor-in-chief of NewsClick, and Amit Chakravarty, the head of the human resources department, were apprehended under stringent clauses of the UAPA, in conjunction with pertinent segments of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The allegations leveled against them encompass sections 13, 16, 17, 18, and 22 of the UAPA, alongside IPC sections 153A and 120B.
According to the First Information Report (FIR) filed by the Delhi Police, significant sums of foreign funds have allegedly been clandestinely channeled into India by both domestic and foreign entities with hostile intentions toward the nation. The purported conspiracy seeks to undermine India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, provoke discontent, and jeopardize its unity, integrity, and security.
As per the FIR lodged by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell against Prabir Purkayastha, the People’s Dispatch Portal, owned and managed by M/S PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt. Ltd., has purportedly played a crucial role in propagating intentionally false narratives via paid news. These fabricated narratives were allegedly circulated in return for substantial sums of unlawfully routed foreign funds, as part of a broader conspiracy.
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The FIR explicitly states that-
“Significant amounts of foreign funds have been unlawfully injected into India by both Indian and foreign entities hostile to the nation, as part of a conspiracy aimed at destabilizing India’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security, inciting disaffection, and posing threats to its unity and integrity.”