NewsClick’s editor Prabir Purkayastha and HR head Amit Chakraborty have moved the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court order which upheld their arrest on Friday last week, LiveLaw reported.
Their counsel Kapil Sibal sought an urgent listing of their special leave petition. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud told Sibal to circulate the papers and said he will decide on listing the matter.
Last week, the CBI also lodged an FIR against NewsClick over allegations of foreign funding violations.
NewsClick has denied all the allegations against it and has termed the police action last week as an attempt to “stifle fearless voices”. It has repeatedly refused that it took funds or directions from Chinese entities.
Sixteen press groups earlier wrote to the Chief Justice of India, demanding that the “increasingly repressive use” of investigating agencies against the media be stopped.
Purkayastha and NewsClick’s HR head Amit Chakraborty were arrested on October 3.
The Enforcement Directorate had earlier attached the portal’s assets after initiating a probe into its funding. This was after The New York Times alleged the news site was among Chinese propaganda outlets funded by American tech mogul Neville Roy Singham.
The Delhi Police also filed a UAPA case days after the NYT report. 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.
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