New Delhi:
The Supreme Court of New Delhi has ordered the release of NewsClick editor Prabir Purkayastha, stating that his arrest by the Delhi Police under anti-terror provisions was unconstitutional. A bench of Justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta held that the arrest was unlawful due to a failure to deliver the remand copy. Justice Mehta noted that the lack of presented grounds for arrest rendered the detention illegal, citing the Pankaj Bansal case to argue Mr. Purkayastha’s right to be released from custody.
Mr. Purkayastha was arrested on October 3 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act after a New York Times investigation revealed that NewsClick had received funds from a network that promotes Chinese propaganda. The Delhi Police’s March chargesheet, which was 8,000 pages long and included annexures, accused NewsClick and Mr. Purkayastha of supporting terrorism and spreading Chinese propaganda. The court allowed Amit Chakravarty, NewsClick’s HR director, to become an approver in the case in January after he was arrested on October 3.
