NewsClick Case: Delhi Police Tells Court It Has Obtained All Sanctions

The Delhi Police informed the Patiala House Court on Tuesday that it has obtained all the requisite sanction under section 45 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and under section 196 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to prosecute the accused in the NewsClick case.

The Special Cell of Delhi Police submitted through Special Public Prosecutor Akhand Pratap Singh that all the sanction orders were obtained, in total, there are three different sanction orders which are being filed in the form of supplementary chargesheet under the provisions of the UAPA.

The Additional Sessions Judge Dr Hardeep Kaur noted the submissions and deferred the matter for April 30, 2024 on the point of cognizance of chargesheet filed in the case and said she will have to read the chargesheet to take cognizance.

The chargesheet filed by the Delhi Police Special Cell in the Patialal House Court contained nearly 8,000 pages with annexures. Special Public Prosecutors Akhand Pratap Singh and Suraj Rathi informed the court that the chargesheet named Prabir Purkayastha and PPK NewsClick Studio Pvt Ltd as an accused.

A chargesheet has been filed against the news portal NewsClick and its founder Prabir Purkayastha in a case filed under the provisions of the UAPA after allegations that the portal received huge sums of money to further pro-China propaganda, according to the Delhi Police.

NewsClick HR Head Amit Chakraborty was turned into approver in the case. The founder and editor-in-chief of NewsClick, Prabir Purkayastha, along with the head of its human resource department, Amit Chakraborty were arrested on October 3, 2023 in connection with the matter. They were arrested under sections 13, 16, 17, 18, and 22 of the UAPA along with IPC sections 153A and 120B.

The Delhi Police's FIR alleged that both Indian and foreign entities with hostile intentions toward India illegally injected significant amounts of foreign funds into the country. This infusion is purportedly part of a scheme to undermine India's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unity, spreading disaffection and posing a threat to its security.

The Special Cell's FIR specifically targeted Prabir Purkayastha, asserting that the People's Dispatch Portal, operated by M/S PPK NewsClick Studio Pvt Ltd, has been utilized to propagate false narratives through paid content in exchange for substantial sums of unlawfully channeled foreign funds, forming part of this alleged conspiracy.

"Foreign funds in crores have been infused illegally in India by Indian and foreign entities inimical to India in pursuance of a conspiracy with the intention to disrupt the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India, to cause disaffection against India, and to threaten the unity, integrity, and security of India," the FIR stated.

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