Delhi Police have been conducting raids at different premises linked
to NewsClick at over 30 locations in connection with a case under the stringent
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), said sources in Delhi Police.
“Raids underway at different premises linked to NewsClick, no arrests
made so far,” added the police sources.
As per few media reports citing sources, Delhi Police had
registered the case under the anti-terror law on August 17, days after a New
York Times probe alleged that the news portal had received funding from a
network pushing Chinese propaganda.
The ED has earlier alleged that the news portal received a sum of
nearly ₹ 38 crore from entities connected to China, and how this amount was
used is under the scanner.
People who have received salaries or remunerations from NewsClick
are under the scanner. Laptops and phones of journalists whose homes were raided
today have been captured for further probe.
In August, a New York Times investigation had accused that
NewsClick is among organisations that were funded by a network linked to US
millionaire Neville Roy Singham that pushes Chinese propaganda.
Earlier on August 22, the Delhi High Court issued notice to news
portal NewsClick’s Editor in Chief Prabir Purkayastha on a plea filed by Delhi
Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EoW), seeking direction to vacate its interim
order asking the probe agency not to take any coercive action against the news
site.
The high court, on July 7, 2021, passed an order directing that
Prabir Purkayastha shall not be arrested, adding, however, that he will have to
cooperate with the investigation as and when required by the investigating
officer.
The Bench of Justice Saurabh Benrajee sought a response from
Purkayastha in the matter.
According to the EOW FIR, a case was registered under the IPC Sections
406, 420 and 120-B and an investigation was launched. During the probe, the
sleuths gathered evidence indicating criminal acts.
The FIR states that the accused persons, in conspiracy with their
accomplices based abroad, devised a deceitful scheme to obtain and receive
funds for undertaking activities as per instructions received from their
foreign-based benefactors, by disguising the funds received as Foreign Direct
Investment.
After seeking protection from arrest the petitioner Prabir
Purkayastha joined the investigation and he merely provided the balance sheets
of PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt Ltd for the financial year 2017-2018, 2018-2019,
2019-2020 but failed to provide closures of the balance sheets to check their
source of revenue, expenditures, end use of funds FDI, and fund/revenue from
foreign entities stated EOW.
Earlier, the ED also moved the Delhi High Court against Newsclick
and its editor-in-chief through a fresh application stating that it was a case
of grave criminal conspiracy for paid news.
The agency, in February 2021, raided the premises of NewsClick and
the residences of its editors in connection with a case of alleged money
laundering and conducted search and seizure operations.
Its case related to alleged foreign funding is based on an FIR
registered by Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing.
NE Watch Desk with ANI inputs
