New Delhi : NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and human resources department head Amit Chakraborty have moved the Supreme Court challenging a Delhi High Court order that refused to revoke their arrest and remand over a UAPA case.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra asked Purkayastha's counsel Kapil Sibal to circulate papers.
Sibal said, “This is the NewsClick matter. The journalists are in police custody. Here one of the accused is a 75-year-old man”. The bench said the court will look into the plea for urgent hearing.
On October 13, the Delhi High Court dismissed the plea against the arrest and subsequent police remand of Purkayastha and Chakravarty in the case. On October 3, the Delhi Police's Special Cell arrested Purkayastha and Chakravarty under UAPA charges for allegedly receiving money to spread pro-China propaganda in India.
Purkayastha and Chakravarty moved the high court challenging the arrest as well as the seven-day police custody and sought immediate release as interim relief. On October 10, the trial court sent them to judicial custody for 10 days. A case has been lodged against the two under anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for allegedly receiving money to spread pro-China propaganda.
The FIR alleges that NewsClick received a large sum of money from China, which was meant to undermine India's sovereignty and sow discord among its citizens. The FIR also accused Purkayastha of working with a group called the People's Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS) to sabotage the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Also Read : A five-judge bench of SC will hear pleas against electoral bonds scheme
