NewsClick Human Resources Department head Amit Chakraborty has moved an application before the Patiala House Court, seeking permission to become an approver in a case filed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against the news portal.
Delhi Police had arrested Founder of the news portal, Prabir Purkayastha and Chakraborty on October 3 following a series of raids on the team behind NewsClick as well as its contributors, including independent journalists, over the allegations that they received money for promoting Chinese propaganda. After the raids, police sealed the NewsClick’s Delhi office.
The accused were remanded to police custody for seven days on the night of October 3, after they were produced at the judge’s residence.
A total of 46 people were interrogated in connection with the charges. Police took away their digital devices, including laptops and mobile phones, along with certain documents, for examination.
Those questioned included senior journalists Urmilesh, Aunindyo Chakravarty, Abhisar Sharma and Paranjoy Guha Thakurta; historian Sohail Hashmi; satirist Sanjay Rajoura and D Raghunandan of the Centre for Technology and Development. They were interrogated for over six hours and allowed to go later.
NewsClick had come under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Economic Offences Wing (EoW) of the Delhi Police after a report published in the New York Times accused the news portal of receiving money from US millionaire Neville Roy Singham for promoting pro-China propaganda in India.