NewsClick row: The SC wants the Delhi Police to respond to the UAPA case petitioners Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakravarty

 NewsClick row: The SC wants the Delhi Police to respond to the UAPA case petitioners Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakravarty

The CBI conducted searches at the founder's office and home after filing a FIR against NewsClick and its creator Prabir Purkayastha for suspected violations of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court requested the Delhi Police to respond to the arguments made by NewsClick's founder Prabir Purkayastha and its human resources director Amit Chakravarty on their detention under the UAPA anti-terror statute.

Senior attorneys Kapil Sibal and Devadatt Kamat, who were standing for Purkayastha and Chakravarty, respectively, said they were in prison and their requests be considered quickly. This prompted a bench of Justices BR Gavai and Prashant Kumar Mishra to send notice to the Delhi Police and ask for a response by October 30.

Earlier, a SC panel made up of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra took notice of senior attorney Kapil Sibal's arguments that the case needed to be heard immediately and instructed him to distribute the case materials.

The NewsClick issue is this. The journalists are being held by the police. One of the defendants in this case is a 75-year-old guy, Sibal added. On the listing, the CJI said that he would accept a call.

On October 13, the Delhi High Court rejected the appeal against the pair's detention and subsequent police custody in the case. On October 3, the Special Cell of the Delhi Police detained both individuals. They then filed a petition with the high court, contesting both the arrest and the seven-day police detention, and asking for immediate release as a temporary remedy. The trial court placed them in judicial prison for ten days on October 10. The two are accused of collecting money to disseminate anti-China propaganda and have a case filed against them under the anti-terror statute known as the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). 

The FIR claims that China sent a significant sum of money to the news outlet in order to "disrupt the sovereignty of India" and sow discontent with the nation. Additionally, it was claimed that Purkayastha colluded with the People's Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS) to rig the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.