Samyukt Kisan Morcha Welcomes Delhi HC Verdict Quashing NewsClick Cases

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has quashed the FIR registered by the Delhi Police against news portal NewsClick and its editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha, while also directing closure of the ED case against them — a ruling that the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Thursday welcomed as a landmark vindication of press freedom and the farmers' movement.

Justice Neena Bansal Krishna, in her judgment, cited "gross abuse of the process of law" in the allegations of FDI norm violations against NewsClick, noting that such a violation necessarily required a victim — and that none existed in this case, as all norms had been followed. The court further held that the absence of any economic violation left no ground for the ED to have lodged its prosecution, and directed that it be withdrawn immediately.

The SKM said the verdict confirmed its longstanding position that the RSS-BJP government had weaponised UAPA to intimidate farmers and workers, suppress democratic movements, and curb freedom of the press under a "nationalist" cover.

"This judgement lends credibility to the hope for justice in India's judicial system," the SKM said in a statement, while also noting that the judiciary had faced consistent allegations of compromising its independence under political pressure from the Modi regime.

The farmers' umbrella body demanded a formal apology from the Modi government, the sacking and prosecution of ministers and officials responsible for what it called unconstitutional repression, the return of laptops and phones seized during raids on NewsClick, and compensation to NewsClick staff and management for loss of income, employment, and reputation.

The Delhi Police FIR, filed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, had not only targeted NewsClick but had also directly accused the farmers' movement of receiving illegal foreign funding and alleged that the historic 2020–21 farmers' agitation was aimed at disrupting essential services and damaging the Indian economy. The SKM had consistently denounced these allegations as "scurrilous, malafide, and politically motivated," maintaining that the protests were peaceful, democratic, and patriotic.

The SKM recalled that it had spearheaded pan-India demonstrations — at state capitals, district headquarters, and tehsil levels — in solidarity with NewsClick and independent media. In November 2023, constituent organisations of the SKM had publicly burnt copies of the Delhi Police FIR against Purkayastha.

Reiterating earlier demands, the SKM called for the scrapping of draconian provisions under both the UAPA and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), describing them as tools routinely deployed to target dissidents and violate fundamental rights. It also demanded prosecution of Delhi Police and ED officials it held culpable in the case.