Delhi High Court Verdict on NewsClick Case Is a Setback to 'Abuse of Political Power', Says Pinarayi Vijayan

Thiruvananthapuram: Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan said that the Delhi High Court’s verdict quashing the case against NewsClick is a strong setback to the political misuse of state power.

Pinarayi Vijayan stated that, from the beginning, there had been allegations that the action taken against NewsClick and its editor Prabir Purkayastha was a political vendetta targeting critical journalism and public movements. He said the court’s intervention has provided significant validation to those allegations.

He added that in an era where some media organizations function according to corporate and political interests, voices that question those in power are increasingly targeted. According to him, the same pattern was seen in the case of NewsClick.

He said the verdict was not merely a victory for one organization, but a victory for democratic rights and press freedom. He stated that questioning those in power is not a crime and that journalism representing public interests cannot be silenced through legal mechanisms or investigative agencies.

The Delhi High Court recently quashed the case against NewsClick. NewsClick was an independent media organization that had published reports with evidence against alleged wrongdoing by the Government of India led by Modi and NDA. Investigative agencies were subsequently used to take retaliatory action against the organization.

The main allegations against NewsClick involved alleged violations of Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) rules over receiving foreign funds and claims that the organization received money from a US citizen allegedly linked to a Chinese media entity.

However, the court observed that neither the police nor the ED were able to present evidence supporting the charges. The court found no evidence of criminal conspiracy or offences under PMLA act and stated that continuing the case would amount to an abuse of legal process.

Justice Neena Bansal Krishna quashed the FIR filed by the Economic Offences Wing of the Delhi Police and the ED’s ECIR. The court also observed that the non-bailable sections included in the FIR could not be sustained.

BJP had targeted Prabir Purkayastha for nearly six years because NewsClick exposed the party’s communal hate campaigns. Purkayastha’s perceived left-wing views and NewsClick’s objective reporting on issues including the farmers’ protests angered the BJP.

Repeated raids were conducted at the homes of Purkayastha and his colleagues. In addition, Purkayastha and his family were detained, and electronic devices including computers and mobile phones were seized.

Purkayastha was arrested by the Delhi Police in October 2023 and remained in custody. In May 2024, the Supreme Court ordered his release after ruling that the arrest was unlawful.

The first FIR in the matter was registered in August 2020 over allegations of receiving foreign funds, and the ED initiated its case in 2021. During the investigation, the ED conducted a raid at the NewsClick office in Delhi that reportedly lasted around 50 hours.