On Friday, the Delhi High Court took action by issuing a notice regarding a plea filed by Prabir Purkayastha, the founder of NewsClick, who seeks to invalidate the FIR lodged against him under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

He was arrested in connection with a case filed under the UAPA, stemming from accusations that the news portal had accepted funds for disseminating pro-China propaganda.

While issuing the notice for the plea, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma's bench scheduled the matter for additional hearings on July 10, 2024.

Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan represented Purkayastha, while Special Public Prosecutor Zoheb Hossain, along with Akhand Pratap Singh, appeared on behalf of the State.

SPP Hossain opposed the issuance of notice for two reasons: firstly, asserting that the offenses outlined in the FIR were evident, and secondly, highlighting a recent development where one of the co-accused, Amit Chakraborty, had turned into an approver. Hossain argued that in light of such a development, there was no basis for quashing the FIR, as the offense was prima facie established.

Purkayastha was arrested on October 3 following a sequence of raids, and was initially held in police custody for seven days after being presented at the judge’s residence. The raids were carried out following allegations mentioned in a New York Times article, suggesting that NewsClick was receiving payments to promote Chinese propaganda.

According to reports, the Delhi Police conducted searches at over 30 locations, interrogated numerous journalists regarding the case, and subsequently arrested both Purkayastha and Chakravarty. Furthermore, the police sealed NewsClick's office located in Delhi.

It is reported that 46 suspects were questioned, during which digital devices such as laptops and mobile phones, along with documents, were confiscated for further examination. Among those questioned were journalists Urmilesh, Aunindyo Chakravarty, Abhisar Sharma, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, and Sohail Hashmi; satirist Sanjay Rajoura; and D. Raghunandan from the Centre for Technology & Development. After enduring questioning for over six hours, they were eventually permitted to leave.

Notably, on October 13, the Delhi High Court "dismissed" the pleas challenging the arrest of NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and HR department head Amit Chakraborty. The order was issued by the bench of Justice Tushar Rao Gedela.