NewsClick founder and Editor-in-Chief, Prabir Purkayastha, who was arrested by the Delhi Police on Tuesday in connection with a case filed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), has been remanded to 7-day police custody.
He was produced before the judge at his residence on Wednesday morning.
The Human Resources head of the news portal NewsClick, Amit Chakravarty, who was arrested along with Purkayastha, has also been sent to police custody by the special court.
Also Read: Delhi Police raids NewsClick journalists’ homes, other locations amid China funding row
Purkayastha and Chakravarty were arrested after a day-long raid by the Delhi police at the NewsClick office and residences of around 40 journalists and activists connected with the news portal, following allegations that it received money for pro-China propaganda.
After the raids, police also sealed NewsClick’s office in Delhi.
As many as 46 people were questioned and digital devices, including laptops and mobile phones, and documents were taken away for examination.
A recent New York Times report had accused the website of allegedly receiving money from a US millionaire, Neville Roy Singham, for pro-China propaganda in India. Following this, the media firm was under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Economic Offences Wing (EoW) of the Delhi Police.
On August 17, a case under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and other sections of IPC, including Section 153A (promoting enmity between two groups), 120B (criminal conspiracy) was registered against the portal.
(With inputs from agencies)