Chinese Propaganda Case: Custodial Remand Of NewsClick Founder And HR Head Extended Until 2 November By Delhi Court

Prabir Purkayastha, the founder and editor-in-chief of NewsClick, along with Amit Chakravarty, the human resources head, have been remanded to Delhi Police custody until 2 November, as ordered by the Patiala House Court of Delhi and reported by NDTV.

The arrests stem from a case filed under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) anti-terror law, accusing the individuals of receiving substantial funds to promote pro-China propaganda through the news portal NewsClick.

Judge Hardeep Kaur granted the Delhi Police's request for a nine-day extension of custodial remand for Purkayastha and Chakravarty.

The two had previously undergone periods of judicial custody, with the court granting them 10 and five days respectively.

The Delhi Police sought custodial interrogation to facilitate confrontations with protected witnesses, examine devices, and extract data as part of their ongoing investigation.

During the court hearing, Purkayastha's lawyer, Arshdeep Singh Khurana, questioned the delay in uncovering the alleged conspiracy and the need for custodial remand.

Purkayastha, in a statement through his lawyer, highlighted that he has been protected by the Delhi High Court since 2021, and he decried the allegations as baseless.

He expressed his concern over the misuse of charges related to mere association with fellow journalist Gautam Navlakha, who is facing UAPA charges.

Amit Chakravarty, represented by advocate Rohit Sharma, clarified that he is not a journalist and has not written any articles since 2021.

The Delhi Police's first information report alleges a conspiracy involving the illegal routing of foreign funds into India, with the aim of spreading false narratives and disrupting the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The case asserts that both Indian and foreign entities, with malicious intentions towards India, have injected large sums of foreign funds to incite disaffection and pose a threat to the nation's unity, integrity, and security.