(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) The Delhi High Court on Friday (October 13) dismissed the plea of Prabir Purkayastha, the founder of NewsClick, and Amit Chakraborty, the human resource head, challenging their arrest by the Delhi Police in a case filed under the anti-terror law, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The court has also upheld the order for their seven-day police custody.
Purkayastha and Chakravarty argued that their arrest and remand lacked a legal basis as they were not provided with the grounds of arrest at the time of detention. They also argued that the remand order was passed in a mechanical manner without the presence of their lawyers.
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However, the court said, "This court does not find any merit in both of the petitions, and the same are accordingly dismissed."
Earlier this month, the high court refused to grant them interim bail, expressing concerns about the allegations but questioning the Delhi police for not providing the grounds of arrest during the remand application.
Purkayastha and Chakraborty were arrested following raids at nearly 30 locations across Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, Mumbai, and Ghaziabad, involving 400 police officials. They were among 46 individuals, including journalists, freelancers, writers, and satirists, who were questioned for eight hours.
The charges against Purkayastha include alleged conspiracy with a group called the Peoples Alliance for Democracy and Secularism to disrupt the 2019 general elections. Additionally, Chinese companies such as Xiaomi and Vivo are accused of illegally incorporating shell companies to infuse foreign funds to disrupt India's sovereignty.
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On a separate note, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recently conducted raids at the office premises of NewsClick and its founder, Prabir Purkayastha. The investigation is linked to alleged violations of foreign funding laws by the news portal. The CBI initiated the case under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) based on a reference from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
According to a CBI spokesperson, the company received unexplained export remittances of Rs 28.46 crore through four foreign entities in violation of FCRA provisions. It is further alleged that foreign funds of approximately Rs 9.59 crore were received, incorrectly characterized as FDI. The director of the private company and close associates are accused of violating the provisions of FCRA, 2010.
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