This is an archive article published on May 15, 2024
Delhi court grants bail to NewsClick editor Prabir Purkayastha after SC orders his release, sets conditions
While ordering Prabir Purkayastha’s release, the Supreme Court noted that police had failed to inform him of the grounds of his arrest before taking him into custody.
Written by Nirbhay Thakur
New Delhi | May 15, 2024 04:30 PM IST
3 min read
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Prabir Purkayastha (extreme right) was arrested around 6.30 am October 3, 2023, by Delhi Police’s Special Cell under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. (File)
After the Supreme Court on Wednesday invalidated his arrest, a Delhi court granted bail to NewsClick founder-editor Prabir Purkayastha in a case where he is alleged to have received money for carrying out pro-China propaganda.
The Patiala House Court, while directing that bail bonds worth ₹1 lakh be furnished, also set three main conditions for Purkayastha: he shall not contact the witnesses and approvers in the case, he shall not talk about the merits of the case and he shall not travel abroad without the court’s permission.
Purkayastha was arrested around 6.30 am October 3, 2023, by Delhi Police’s Special Cell under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court ordered Purkayastha’s release, noting that the police had failed to inform him of the grounds of his arrest before taking him into custody.
The FIR against Purkayastha mentioned offences under UAPA sections 13 (unlawful activities), 16 (terrorist act), 17 (raising funds for terrorist acts), 18 (conspiracy) and 22C (offences by companies, trusts) as well as Indian Penal Code sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).
Special Public Prosecutor Akhand Pratap Singh had earlier requested the court to set the condition that Purkayastha shall contact no one “reflected” in the chargesheet. However, he later decided not to press for it.
Purkayastha’s counsel, Arshdeep Singh, then asked, “Can he speak to his lawyer?” The question left everyone in the courtroom chuckling. Further, he said that the name of Githa Hariharan, Purkayastha’s partner, was also in the chargesheet.
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As the special public prosecutor told the court that there was only one approver in the case, NewsClick human resources head Amit Chakraborty, advocate Arshdeep quipped, “…. Abhi tak to ek hi hai. Aage pata nahi kis kis ko banayenge (There is only one as of now. Let us see who else they rope in).”
Purkayastha’s case before the Supreme Court was that on October 4, 2023, without any prior notice, he was taken to the residence of a special judge at 6.30 am for a remand hearing. His lawyers claimed that they were informed about the proceedings over a phone call around 7 am on Purkayastha’s insistence.
In pleadings before the Delhi High Court, Purkayastha had said that an unsigned copy of the remand application was sent by WhatsApp to his lawyers without mentioning the time or the grounds of the arrest.
As reported by The Indian Express, official records show that the remand order was signed at 6 am, which is even before Purkayastha was produced before the judge or his lawyers were informed.
Nirbhay Thakur is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express who primarily covers district courts in Delhi and has reported on the trials of many high-profile cases since 2023.
Professional Background
Education: Nirbhay is an economics graduate from Delhi University.
Beats: His reporting spans the trial courts, and he occasionally interviews ambassadors and has a keen interest in doing data stories.
Specializations: He has a specific interest in data stories related to courts.
Core Strength: Nirbhay is known for tracking long-running legal sagas and providing meticulous updates on high-profile criminal trials.
Recent notable articles
In 2025, he has written long form articles and two investigations. Along with breaking many court stories, he has also done various exclusive stories.
1) A long form on Surender Koli, accused in the Nithari serial killings of 2006. He was acquitted after spending 2 decades in jail. was a branded man. Deemed the “cannibal" who allegedly lured children to his employer’s house in Noida, murdered them, and “ate their flesh” – his actions cited were cited as evidence of human depravity at its worst. However, the SC acquitted him finding various lapses in the investigation. The Indian Express spoke to his lawyers and traced the 2 decades journey.
2) For decades, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been at the forefront of the Government’s national rankings, placed at No. 2 over the past two years alone. It has also been the crucible of campus activism, its protests often spilling into national debates, its student leaders going on to become the faces and voices of political parties of all hues and thoughts. The Indian Express looked at all court cases spanning over two decades and did an investigation.
3) Investigation on the 700 Delhi riots cases. The Indian Express found that in 17 of 93 acquittals (which amounted to 85% of the decided cases) in Delhi riots cases, courts red-flag ‘fabricated’ evidence and pulled up the police.
Signature Style
Nirbhay’s writing is characterized by its procedural depth. He excels at summarizing 400-page chargesheets and complex court orders into digestible news for the general public.
X (Twitter): @Nirbhaya99 ... Read More
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