Hearing NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha’s petition, the Patiala House Court today told the Delhi police to provide him a copy of the FIR under which he was arrested on Tuesday. The police had earlier opposed Purkayastha’s demand for a copy of the FIR.
Purkayastha and NewsClick’s HR head Amit Chakraborty were arrested in a UAPA case which was filed against NewsClick in August. This was after The New York Times alleged the news site was among Chinese propaganda outlets funded by American tech mogul Neville Roy Singham. In the run up to the arrests, the Delhi police raided over 30 locations and questioned more than 35 journalists. Their electronic devices were also seized.
The media outlet slammed the police action, calling it an attempt to “stifle fearless voices”. In an official statement issued on Wednesday, NewsClick said that no agency has been able to establish any offence against the organisation so far despite scrutinising a large amount of evidence over the last two years. It also said the police did not provide a copy of the FIR and due process was not followed in the seizure of electronic devices and documents.
Earlier this week, 16 press groups wrote to the Chief Justice of India, demanding that the “increasingly repressive use” of investigating agencies against the media be stopped.
Newslaundry also reported on the events that unfolded amid the police raid on journalists. A former NewsClick journalist told us that his laptop, phone, passbooks and property documents were seized, even though the police’s search warrant “was not in my name”. Read our report here.
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