Newsclick founder Prabir Purkayastha moves Delhi HC to quash FIR; challenges remand order
New Delhi , October 6: Newsclick's founder and Editor-in-Chief Prabir Purkayastha on Friday moved the Delhi High Court seeking the quashing of an FIR registered against him and others.
The plea also challenged a trial court order granting remand to him and HR head Amit Chakravarty in the matter. The issue was mentioned before the Bench of Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court by senior advocate Kapil Sibal with the prayer for an urgent hearing in the matter on Friday. The Bench noted down the submissions and agreed to hear the matter.
According to the lawyers, Newsclick has moved two petitions — one is seeking the quashing of an FIR and stating that arresting of accused persons is illegal; another petition is challenging the Patiala House Court's order sending them seven days of remand.
On Thursday, Patiala House Court of Delhi allowed a plea moved by Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakravarty for the supply of the FIR to them.
On Wednesday, the trial court had allowed the Delhi Police remand plea and sent the two accused to seven days of police remand. The Delhi Police on Wednesday alleged that NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha conspired to peddle the narrative that Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh are disputed territories with the help of a Shanghai-based company.
The Delhi Police informed the court through remand application that secret inputs revealed that Prabir Purkayastha, Neville Roy Singham (said to be an active member of the Propaganda Department of the Communist Party of China) and some other Chinese employees of Neville Roy Singham-owned Shanghai-based Company by the name of StarStream have exchanged emails which expose their intent to show Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh as not part of India.
The Delhi Police in its remand plea stated that such attempts by these persons reveal their conspiracy to peddle a narrative, both globally and domestically, that Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh are disputed territories.
- PTC NEWS
