In the wake of the Supreme Court’s order terming the arrest and remand of NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha as “illegal”, DIGIPUB – an association of several news outlets – has urged the government to “exercise caution and restraint in its deliberate and regressive war against media houses it doesn’t agree with”.
DIGIPUB’s statement on Supreme Court ordering Prabir Purkayastha’s immediate release. pic.twitter.com/ZVn9Divrea
— DIGIPUB News India Foundation (@DigipubIndia) May 15, 2024
“We hope Prabir is released immediately and that he is given a fair trial in accordance with the law,” the foundation said in a statement on Wednesday.
“After his arrest in October 2023, Prabir was not provided with a copy of the remand application before passing the remand order. The Supreme Court said it was surprised at the Delhi police’s ‘hot haste’ in producing Prabir before a magistrate without even informing his lawyer,” it said.
“DIGIPUB has consistently condemned the police and agency action against NewsClick, where journalists were interrogated, their devices seized, and their homes raided, culminating in Prabir’s arrest last year. In a democracy, a government cannot unleash central agencies against the free press, especially in the absence of due process. Laws must not be weaponised against journalists, putting their life, liberty and livelihood at risk.”
NewsClick, in a post on X, said “it’s a good day for independent media”.
A good day for independent media!#PrabirPurkayastha #NewsClick pic.twitter.com/e3h5AoMtDP
— NewsClick (@newsclickin) May 15, 2024
Prabir Purkayastha and NewsClick HR head Chakraborty were arrested in October last year.
In April, there were a flurry of news reports on the Delhi police’s chargesheet against NewsClick. Running into 8,000 pages, the chargesheet levels a wild range of accusations against NewsClick and its founder Prabir Purkayastha including funding terrorism, inciting protests, and having Maoist links.
NewsClick has repeatedly denied the charges against it. It published a detailed statement rejecting the “absurd, baseless allegations” in the chargesheet. It noted that many media reports on the chargesheet were published without seeking NewsClick’s response.
Newslaundry has reported on the case against NewsClick from the start. See a timeline of events here and the rest of our reportage here.
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