The Special Cell of Delhi Police is poised to submit its chargesheet against Newsportal Newsclick, under the framework of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. Allegations suggest that Newsclick received substantial funds for promoting pro-China narratives. Recently, Delhi’s Patiala House Court granted an extension to Delhi Police for filing the chargesheet, with initial extensions of two months and an additional 20 days granted in February this year.
Prabir Purkayastha stands as the primary accused, while Amit Chakraborty has been designated as the approver in this case. Purkayastha, the founder and editor-in-chief of NewsClick, and Amit Chakravarty, head of its human resource department, were apprehended on October 3, 2023.
The charges laid against them encompass several sections, including the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) under sections 13, 16, 17, 18, and 22, alongside IPC sections 153A and 120B.
The FIR filed by Delhi Police alleges that significant foreign funds were illicitly injected into India by both Indian and foreign entities hostile to the country. This purported conspiracy aimed to disrupt India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, sow disaffection against the nation, and jeopardise its unity, integrity, and security.
According to the FIR issued by Delhi Police’s Special Cell against Prabir Purkayastha, founder and Editor-in-Chief of the news web portal NewsClick, the People’s Dispatch Portal, owned and operated by M/S PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt. Ltd., was allegedly utilised to disseminate false narratives through paid news, in exchange for substantial sums of illegally channelled foreign funds, as part of the conspiracy.
According to the FIR, substantial amounts of foreign funds, in the millions, have been unlawfully injected into India by both domestic and foreign entities hostile to the country. This action was purportedly part of a conspiracy aimed at undermining India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, fostering disaffection towards the nation, and posing threats to its unity, integrity, and security.
The Delhi Police launched this investigation based on information furnished by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) subsequent to its probe last year. The police FIR asserts that American billionaire Neville Roy Singham had been consistently financing NewsClick.
On August 5, The New York Times ran an article titled “A US Tech Mogul Linked to a Global Web of Chinese Propaganda,” which suggested that NewsClick, a news portal, was affiliated with a worldwide network that received funding from American millionaire Singham, who allegedly had close ties to Chinese government media.
Quoting from the NYT piece, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur claimed that Congress, China, and NewsClick shared an “anti-India umbilical cord” and were promoting the agenda of the Communist Party of China through the website. Following the publication of the NYT article, NewsClick issued a statement refuting the accusations as unfounded and lacking both factual and legal basis, two days later.
Notably, the FIR related to the NewsClick case also implicated activist and journalist Gautam Navlakha, who, as per the police, has been a shareholder in Newsclick since 2018. Law enforcement alleged that Navlakha had engaged in anti-Indian activities, including active support for outlawed Maoist organisations and maintaining connections with Ghulam Nabi Fai, an ISI agent from Pakistan, deemed anti-national.
As per the FIR, Navlakha has been in association with Purkayastha since 1991, when they purportedly established a company through which Purkayastha allegedly diverted foreign funds unlawfully.
In August, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached a flat linked to NewsClick editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayashta in New Delhi’s Saket as part of its money laundering probe against the news portal. The agency also conducted raids at Purkayastha’s premises in September 2021. According to a New York Times report, the outlet was involved in a global network receiving funding from American billionaire Neville Roy Singham to “spread Chinese propaganda.”
It was emphasised that Singham has been successful in disseminating talking points from the communist administration in countries including India, Brazil, South Africa, and the United States under the guise of progressive advocacy. The report pointed out, “In New Delhi, corporate filings show, Singham’s network financed a news site, NewsClick, that sprinkled its coverage with Chinese government talking points.”
On August 7, Bhartiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey raised the issue of Chinese financing of the leftist propaganda news outlet, NewsClick, in the Indian Parliament. He spoke about the recent revelations made by the New York Times.
In his speech which is trending on social media now, Dubey said, “Chinese goods are being sold at Rahul Gandhi’s nafrat ki dukaan (hate shop)…The New York Times has published an interesting report…About Rs 38 crores have been received by organisations such as NewsClick.”
“The report by the newspaper also reiterated the findings of the Enforcement Directorate…NewsClick is a part of the anti-India, tukde tukde gang. (Prabir) Purkayastha is the owner,” he added.
He alleged that the funds received by the site were routed to Maoists, Naxalites and propaganda artists such as (Abhisar) Sharma, Rohini Singh and Swati Chaturvedi. He added that the Chinese government is also spending money to create an anti-India narrative.
