While Purkayastha is an accused in the case, former co-accused Chakravarty recently turned approver in the matter.
NewsClick.
A Delhi court, on Monday, 29 January, extended the judicial custody of NewsClick founder and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha and HR department head Amit Chakravarty in a case lodged under anti-terror law UAPA over allegations that the news portal received money to spread pro-China propaganda.
Additional Sessions Judge Hardeep Kaur, on Monday, extended their judicial custody till 17 February 2024.
While Purkayastha is an accused in the case, former co-accused Chakravarty recently turned approver in the matter.
In his application seeking pardon in the matter, Chakravarty claimed that he was in possession of “material information” about the case, which he was willing to disclose to the Delhi Police.
The Special Cell arrested Purkayastha and Chakravarty on 3 October 2023. They were sent to judicial custody on 10 October.
On 19 October, the top court sought the response of the Delhi Police on pleas of Purkayastha and Chakravarty challenging the Delhi High Court order of 13 October.
The high court had, on 13 October, dismissed their pleas against the arrest and subsequent police remand in the case. The police, however, sought their fresh custodial interrogation on 25 October.
On 16 November, the ED issued a fresh summons to US-based businessman Neville Roy Singham under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
On 30 November, a team of Delhi Police went to Mumbai to question activist Gautam Navlakha in connection with the NewsClick probe.
The Delhi Police had registered a case under Sections 13, 16, 17, 18, and 22 of the anti-terror UAPA, and also invoked Sections 153A (promoting enmity between two groups) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code on 17 August.
According to the Delhi Police’s remand copy, which was submitted before the court on 4 October when it produced Purkayastha and Chakravarty, the analysis of the e-mails shows that US-based businessman Neville Roy Singham, Purkayastha, and Chakravarty were in direct touch with each other and discussed how to create a map of India without Kashmir and to show Arunachal Pradesh as a disputed area.
According to the FIR, a large amount of funds received by the news portal came from China to “disrupt the sovereignty of India” and cause disaffection against the country.
It also alleged Purkayastha conspired with a group — People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS) — to sabotage the electoral process during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Raids were conducted at 88 locations in Delhi and seven in other states on 3 October on the suspects named in the FIR and those that surfaced in the analysis of data, the police said.
Around 300 electronic gadgets were also seized from the offices of NewsClick and the residences of the journalists who were examined.
Following the raids, 46 individuals, including nine female journalists, were questioned by the Special Cell in Delhi and NCR.
(With PTI inputs)
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