One is a case of alleged money laundering being probed by ED, and the other is of alleged unlawful foreign funding initiated by Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police.
Purkayastha got bail in 2 cases, one registered by ED in connection with alleged money laundering & another by Delhi Police's EOW probing claims of unlawful foreign funding.
Police should have communicated to Purkayastha grounds of his arrest, which was his constitutional right under Article 22 (1), bench of Justices B.R. Gavai & Sandeep Mehta says.
Court says Delhi Police failed to communicate grounds of Purkayastha's arrest to him, his counsel. He was arrested last yr in a UAPA case for allegedly promoting ‘pro-China propaganda’.
The court has taken cognizance of a chargesheet filed by Delhi Police special cell. NewsClick has been accused of receiving money for pro-China propaganda.
Chargesheet has one of the 'protected' witnesses narrating how Purkayastha & NewsClick editor Pranjal Pandey went to China and got infected with Covid, endangering their lives.
NewsClick questioned timing of media reports in case, slammed chargesheet as 'nothing but set of opinions of investigating officer parading as allegations'.
In 8,000 page chargesheet, police have accused NewsClick & founder Prabir Purkayastha of ‘terror financing’, largely based on statements by protected witnesses. Both charged under UAPA.
It also alleged Purkayastha conspired with a group -- People's Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS) -- to sabotage the electoral process during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Yet to be filed in court, chargesheet accuses Delhi-based news portal NewsClick of trying to set an ‘anti-India’ narrative and propagate ‘pro-China’ sentiments.
Islamabad-based think-tank PICSS's new report says Pakistan saw 'pronounced escalation' in violence last year, with 3,413 conflict-related deaths compared to 1,950 in previous year.
UK, EFTA already in the bag and EU on the way, almost every member of RCEP except China signed up, and even restrictions on China being lifted, India has changed its mind on trade.
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