New Delhi, May 15 (EFE).- The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday granted bail to journalist Prabir Purkayastha, founder of NewsClick, who was arrested under the anti-terror law in October in a case of alleged Chinese-funded propaganda.
The arrest and the remand were declared invalid by the top court, according to specialized media outlet, Live Law.
“A copy of the remand application was not provided to Purkayastha or his counsel before passing the remand order on October 4, 2023. This meant that the grounds of the arrest were not supplied to him in writing,” the court said, Live Law reported.
However, the court said that Purkayasatha’s release would be subject to him furnishing bail and bonds to the court.
Indian authorities raided over 100 locations in October and questioned several Newsclick journalists for hours in a probe into alleged illegal overseas funding and money laundering by the media company.
Purkayastha’s arrest came after a report by The New York Times included NewsClick among the media houses that allegedly received funding to disseminate pro-China propaganda financed by American millionaire Neville Roy Singham.
The arrest sparked strong protests in the country, and journalist bodies such as the Press Club of India and the Editors’ Guild of India condemned the police action.
Global rights and journalist bodies have often raised questions about India’s state of press freedom after the coming to power of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi almost 10 years ago.
India stands at an unenviable 159th spot on the 2024 global press freedom index among 180 countries, according to a report by Paris-based Reporters Without Borders. EFE
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