NEW DELHI: NewsClick founder and Editor-in-chief, Prabir Purkayastha and its HR head, Amit Chakraborty have filed a plea in the Supreme Court challenging Delhi High Court order dismissing their petitions against their arrest by Delhi police in a case lodged under anti-terror law the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
A bench of Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said the court would consider the plea for urgent date.
Senior advocate Sibal, appearing for accused duo Purkayastha and Chakraborty, said, "This is the NewsClick matter. The journalist is in the police custody. He is a over 70-year old man."
On October 13, 2023, the Delhi High Court had rejected the petitions filed by accused duo-- Purkayastha and Chakraborty -- challenging their arrest and remand in the UAPA case.
A single judge bench of Justice Tushar Rao Gedela had rejected the petitions filed by Purkayastha and Chakraborty challenging the remand order.
According to the prosecution, the accused duo were charged with receiving money to spread pro-China propaganda.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the investigation agency, had claimed the ongoing investigation involved “serious offences” as a huge sum of money, about Rs 75 crore, were received from a person who is staying in China and “the purpose is to ensure that integrity and stability of the country is compromised”.
The HC had said the petitioners had raised no grievance at all "of an illegal remand order while filing an application seeking a copy of FIR when the remand order was passed on October 04, 2023".
It had also concluded that the Supreme Court's judgement in Pankaj Bansal --for supplying the grounds of arrest by the Enforcement Directorate at the time of arrest -- is not applicable to the facts and the law in the petition.
"The plea challenging the arrest of the present petitioner on the grounds of non furnishing of grounds of arrest are, similarly, held to be untenable and is accordingly rejected," it had said.
On October 3, the Delhi Police's Special Cell arrested Purkayastha and Chakravarty under the UAPA.
On October 10, the trial court sent them to judicial custody for 10 days.
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