The Supreme Court, on November 6, deferred the hearing of the petitions lodged by Prabir Purkayastha, the founder and editor-in-chief of NewsClick, and Amit Chakraborty, the head of human resources, challenging their recent arrests. The bench, comprising Justices BR Gavai and Prashant Kumar Mishra, was reviewing the special leave petitions submitted by the pair, contesting the Delhi High Court’s decision to uphold their arrest by the Delhi Police. The arrest was carried out in relation to a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, concerning alleged Chinese funding for promoting anti-national propaganda.
Notably, last month, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal presented this case before Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, seeking an urgent hearing. Subsequently, when the matter was taken up, the bench issued notices in both petitions, calling for the Delhi Police’s response.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the petitioners, emphasized, “This case falls squarely within the purview of the Pankaj Bansal ruling of this court, which mandates that the grounds of arrest must be provided in writing. Examine the arrest memorandum; nothing has been provided.”
