The NewsClick portal has firmly refuted and dismissed the baseless allegations made against it in a Delhi Police FIR. The portal has characterized these proceedings as a blatant effort to suppress the freedom of the press in India.
In the FIR filed against NewsClick under the anti-terror law UAPA, the Delhi Police has asserted that a substantial sum of money originated from China with the intention of disrupting India's sovereignty and inciting disaffection against the nation within the context of a broader criminal conspiracy. The police have claimed that this foreign funding was fraudulently introduced into India by Neville Roy Singham, who is identified as an active member of the propaganda department of the Communist Party of China. The FIR was conveyed to the portal on Friday.
In an official statement released on a specified date, the NewsClick portal stated, "Newsclick has not received any funding or instructions from China or Chinese entities. Further, Newsclick has never committed or sought to encourage violence, secession, or any illegal activity in any manner whatsoever. A review of Newsclick's publicly available coverage should suffice to confirm the accuracy of Newsclick's assertions."
The portal has expressed its unwavering confidence in the judicial system of the country and believes that its position will ultimately be vindicated.
Earlier this week, the Delhi Police conducted raids at nearly 88 locations related to the premises of the portal and its journalists, subsequently leading to the arrest of NewsClick's founder and editor-in-chief, Prabir Purkayastha, along with its HR head, Amit Chakravarty.
The portal has contested the credibility of the allegations in the FIR, characterizing them as clearly untenable and unsubstantiated. These allegations have been repeatedly raised in investigations conducted by three government agencies, namely the Enforcement Directorate, the Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police, and the Income Tax Department, over the past three years. None of these investigations has resulted in any chargesheets or complaints.
The portal noted that interim protection had been granted to Prabir Purkayastha in these investigations, and the latest FIR was registered solely as an attempt to circumvent this and facilitate "unlawful arrests" under the draconian UAPA.
Furthermore, the portal revealed that Prabir Purkayastha was only provided with a copy of the FIR registered by the Delhi Police Special Cell on Thursday night, following the directions of the Special Judge, Patiala House. The portal has since approached the High Court of Delhi, seeking the quashing of the FIR and the release of Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakraborty from police custody.
The Delhi Police is reportedly planning to interrogate ten individuals named in the FIR, including senior journalists from NewsClick and contributors. Additional individuals purportedly linked to the case have also been summoned for questioning, with at least 20 individuals having been interrogated on Thursday and Friday.
Â
