In a setback to NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and portal's human resources department head Amit Chakravarty, the Delhi High Court on Friday refused to interfere with their arrest and subsequent police remand in a case lodged under anti-terror law UAPA. Justice Tushar Rao Gedela upheld their seven days of police remand, which expires on October 20.
Dismissing their plea challenging the police action, Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said, “The court does not find merit in both petitions.” Purkayastha and Chakravarty were arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police on October 3. Earlier on October 9, the Delhi High Court reserved its verdict on pleas by NewsClick founder.
Before the High Court, they argued that their arrest and remand were illegal since they were not supplied with grounds of arrest and the same was in violation of the recent Supreme Court judgment in Directorate of Enforcement vs Roop Bansal and Ors (M3M case), according to a report by Bar and Bench.
The Delhi Police however claimed that the accused wanted to compromise national security and integrity. They also said that the judgment in M3M case would not apply in the current case since the same was delivered on the same day the arrest happened, i.e. October 3 and the Delhi Police were not aware about it.
The court is yet to hear the plea by the two seeking quashing of the FIR against them, which claimed that a large amount of funds to the news portal allegedly came from China to "disrupt the sovereignty of India" and cause disaffection against the country.
