By – Prakarsh Kastwar
CBI charges NewsClick of violating the FCRA; searches are being conducted at two locations.
After filing a case to investigate a possible violation of the Foreign Contribution Violation Act (FCRA), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches at Prabir Purkayastha’s home and workplace on Wednesday, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
The CBI investigation into NewsClick is the latest agency to look into the news portal because of its potential connections to China and questionable funding.
The Delhi Police detained Purkayastha and Amit Chakravorty, the chief of NewsClick’s human resources department, last week after accusing them of violating the strict UAPA.
Since 2021, ED has been investigating the website and has already attached Purkayastha’s property.
According to the Delhi Police FIR, Chinese corporations like Xiaomi and Vivo established shell companies to inject foreign monies into the plot in order to promote it. Prabir Purkayastha is also accused of conspiring to undermine the 2019 general elections with an organization called the Peoples Alliance for Democracy and Secularism.
Citing confidential information, it asserts that foreign and Indian companies illegally infused monies totaling crores with the objective to undermine India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, sow discord, and endanger the nation’s unity and integrity.
Additionally, it accuses American millionaire Neville Roy Singham and activist Gautam Navlakha of disseminating anti-Chinese propaganda.
According to the FIR, Navlakha and Purkayastha have been acquainted since 1991.
Purkayastha, Neville, and “some other Chinese employees,” according to the FIR, are named in emails that “expose their intent to show that Arunachal Pradesh and Kashmir are not parts of India.”
The allegations have been denied by NewsClick, which claims that it has never published any news or material at the direction of any Chinese entity or authority. It denied following any instructions given by Singham.
According to a statement from the portal, “All funding received by NewsClick has been through the appropriate banking channels and has been reported to the relevant authorities as required by law.” The Reserve Bank of India backed up this claim in proceedings before the high court of Delhi.
In September 2021, ED conducted a raid on Purkayastha’s offices while also looking through the Delhi Police FIR.
The agency that investigates financial crimes has already stated that it is looking into the “fraudulent” infusion of over 86 crore in foreign monies into the company that operates the portal.
According to the website for NewsClick, it is a non-profit media outlet devoted to reporting news from India and other countries with a focus on progressive causes. 2009 saw its founding.