Five sections of the UAPA anti-terror law and penal code provisions relating to criminal conspiracy and promoting enmity form the basis of the case against NewsClick and its journalists, sources have revealed. The Delhi Police, acting on information from the Enforcement Directorate, conducted raids at 24 locations in the city, seizing electronic devices such as mobile phones and laptops and taking five journalists for further questioning.
During the raids, the police had a list of devices and matched the IMEI numbers on the list to those found at NewsClick and the journalists’ residences. The police also had a list of 20-25 questions related to protests by farmers against the government’s farm laws and protests in Delhi’s Shaheeh Bagh against the citizenship law. Additionally, the journalists were questioned about their travel to northeastern states and stories from there.
The raid began with a meeting held by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell at 2 AM on Tuesday at their head office in Lodhi Colony. Approximately 200 police officers were present, and the mobile phones of junior officials were temporarily confiscated to maintain secrecy. At the same time, Mumbai Police teams raided activist Teesta Setalvad’s residence, as she is believed to be linked to the NewsClick case.
The residence of Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury was also raided to question the son of a staff member who works at NewsClick. The son’s phone and laptop were seized during the raid.
The Delhi Police’s case against NewsClick and its journalists includes charges under five sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and two under the Indian Penal Code. The specific details of the case are yet to be revealed.
The Enforcement Directorate believes that NewsClick received nearly Rs 38 crore from entities with alleged links to China. This money was allegedly used to pay the salaries of eight journalists, who are now under scrutiny. The agency also claims to have found ‘transactions’ between NewsClick and human rights activist Teesta Setalvad, who allegedly fabricated evidence in the 2002 Godhra riots case. Additionally, the agency believes that NewsClick promoters funded the legal expenses of activist Gautam Navlakha, who is accused in a case related to alleged inflammatory speeches in Pune in 2017 that led to the Bhima-Koregaon violence.
So far, at least 10 journalists associated with NewsClick have been or are being raided. Five of them have been brought to the office of the Delhi Police’s Special Cell for questioning, but no arrests have been made.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur has dismissed media queries regarding the raids, stating that “search agencies are free to carry out investigations under set guidelines” and that the government does not need to justify its actions. Activists and the opposition have criticized the raids, calling them a crackdown on press freedom.
Earlier this year, The New York Times published an article claiming that NewsClick is among the organizations funded by American millionaire Neville Roy Singham’s global network, which promotes Chinese propaganda. The site and its sources of funding were also investigated by the Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing in 2021, and the recent Enforcement Directorate raids are linked to that case. In addition, the Income Tax Department searched NewsClick offices in 2021. Senior editor Prabir Purkayastha criticized these actions as attempts to suppress independent journalism.