Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Hindu
The Hindu
National
Krishnadas Rajagopal

Supreme Court finds NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha’s arrest invalid, says he is entitled to be released from custody

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it felt “no hesitation” to declare the arrest and remand of 74-year-old journalist and online portal NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) by the Delhi Police as “invalid in the eyes of law”, requiring his release from custody.

A Bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and Sandeep Mehta said neither Mr. Purkayastha nor his designated counsel were provided the grounds of his arrest in writing.

“The right to be informed about the grounds of arrest flows from Article 22(1) (an arrested person shall be informed of the grounds of arrest and allowed to consult a lawyer of his or her choice) of the Constitution and any infringement of this fundamental right would vitiate the process of arrest and remand,” Justice Mehta, who authored the judgment, held.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.