Delhi Police have registered a case against NewsClick under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), a stringent anti-terror law, and conducted searches at the residences of several journalists associated with the news portal. The allegations against NewsClick revolve around its alleged receipt of funding from China. The searches were carried out by officers from the Special Cell of Delhi Police, and while no arrests have been made so far, some journalists were taken to police stations for questioning.
Previously, the Enforcement Directorate had registered a case against NewsClick and investigated its funding, resulting in the attachment of some assets linked to the news portal. The details of the fresh case registered by the Delhi Police are yet to be clarified, with police sources promising to share more information about the searches at a later time.
NewsClick first came under scrutiny in 2021 when the Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police filed a case against it, which subsequently led to the Enforcement Directorate case. The Delhi High Court provided protection from arrest to NewsClick promoters, and the matter is currently before the court. In 2021, Income Tax officers also searched the news portal’s offices regarding an alleged tax evasion case.
Prabir Purakayastha, the editor of NewsClick, has criticized the crackdown on the news portal, calling it an attempt to suppress independent journalism. In response to allegations made in a New York Times investigation, Purakayastha stated that they were not new and would be addressed in court as the matter is sub judice.