New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday ordered the immediate release of NewsClick founder and editor Prabir Purkayastha after ruling that his arrest was illegal and invalid.
The order was issued by a bench comprising Justices B R Gavai and Sandeep Mehta.
The SC also noted that a copy of the remand application was not provided by Delhi Police to Purkayastha or his counsel before passing the remand order on October 4, 2023.
He was booked under UAPA in an alleged case by the CBI, which claimed that the news portal received foreign funds in violation of the FCRA.
On October 3, Delhi raided Newsclick’s office and houses of at least 80 journalists, cocontributors, freelancers and staff associated with the Newsclick and arrested its editor and founder.
Police accused the news organization of receiving funding from China with the intent to “disrupt the sovereignty of India” and foster disaffection against the country.
The Supreme Court’s ruling deemed the arrest under anti-terror laws as unwarranted and ordered Purkayastha’s immediate release from custody.
Furthermore, on April 30, the Supreme Court questioned the Delhi Police for hastily producing Mr. Purkayastha before the magistrate without informing his lawyer following his arrest. The top court also expressed surprise that the remand order was passed even before his lawyer received his remand application.