NewsClick Row: SC Postpones Hearing on Founder, HR Head’s Pleas Against Arrest under UAPA
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 6th Nov. The Supreme Court on Monday postponed the hearing on the pleas of Prabir Purkayastha, the founder of NewsClick, and Amit Chakravarty, the HR head, against their arrest under the anti-terror law UAPA.
The hearing will take place after the Diwali vacation, said Justices BR Gavai Prashant Kumar Mishra.
Kapil Sibal, the senior advocate representing both accused, stated that the matter falls under a recent judgment of the apex court, which requires the immediate sharing of arrest grounds with the accused. However, in this case, no information was shared. Sibal also mentioned that there is a pending application for medical bail.
The bench has decided to address the medical bail application and the main matter after the Diwali vacation. On October 19, the Supreme Court had asked the Delhi Police to respond to the pleas of Purkayastha and Chakravarty, who were challenging the Delhi High Court’s order of October 13.
The high court had dismissed their pleas against arrest and subsequent police custody, stating that there were no procedural errors or violations of the UAPA. The Delhi Police arrested both individuals on October 3, accusing them of receiving funds from China to spread pro-China propaganda and disrupt India’s sovereignty.
The FIR also alleged that Purkayastha conspired with the People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS) to sabotage the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. On November 2, a Delhi court sent Purkayastha and Chakravarty to judicial custody until December 1.
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