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This is an archive article published on October 5, 2023

Journalists protest NewsClick arrests, write to CJI; BJP defends police action

The letter also stated that the invocation of the UAPA was “specially chilling” while requesting the higher judiciary’s intervention to put an end to the “increasingly repressive” use of investigating agencies against the media.

NewsClick money laundering case, NewsClick, NewsClick case, Delhi high court, India news, Indian express, Indian express India news, Indian express IndiaJournalists protest at the Press Club in New Delhi on Wednesday. Tashi Tobgyal
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Journalists protest NewsClick arrests, write to CJI; BJP defends police action
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Journalists belonging to different media organisations on Wednesday staged a protest at the Press Club of India against Delhi Police’s crackdown on NewsClick, a day after the arrest of news website’s founder Prabir Purkayastha and its HR head Amit Chakraborty under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

During the protest, Siddharth Vardharajan of ‘The Wire’ read out a letter addressed to the Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and signed by a coalition of 16 media organisations, including the Press Club of India, Digipub News India foundation, The Indian Women’s Press Co., Foundation for Media Professionals, Chandigarh Press Club, Kerala Union of Journalists, among others.

The letter requested the judiciary to “confront power with a fundamental truth — that there is a Constitution to which we are all answerable to”. The letter also stated that the invocation of the UAPA was “specially chilling” while requesting the higher judiciary’s intervention to put an end to the “increasingly repressive” use of investigating agencies against the media.

The letter also criticised the seizure of mobile phones and computers with no word on data’s safety and privacy. “On October 3, 2023, the Special Cell of the Delhi Police raided the homes of 46 professionals connected in one way or another to the online news portal, Newsclick…Journalism cannot be prosecuted as ‘terrorism’. Enough instances in history abound to tell us where that eventually goes…the country’s investigating agencies have been misused and weaponised against the Press. Sedition and terrorism cases have been filed against editors and reporters and frivolous FIRs have been used as an instrument of harassment against journalists,” the letter stated.

Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, a journalist, writer and publisher, who works with the NewsClick in the capacity of a consultant and was questioned by Delhi Police’s Special Cell on Tuesday, said, “Never before in the history of Delhi have hundreds of policemen visited the homes of journalists and some non-journalists…”

Saman Husain is a Correspondent at The Indian Express. Based in New Delhi, she is an emerging voice in political journalism, reporting on civic governance, elections, migration, and the social consequences of policy, with a focus on ground-reporting across Delhi-NCR and western Uttar Pradesh. Professional Profile Education: She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science (Honours) from Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, and is an alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai. Core Beats: Her reporting focuses on the national capital’s governance and politics. She specializes in Delhi’s civic administration and the city units of the BJP, AAP and Congress. In western Uttar Pradesh, she mostly reports on crime. Specialization: She has a keen interest in electoral processes and politics — her recent contributions include work on electoral roll revisions. Recent Notable Articles (since July 2025) Her recent work reflects a strong show-not-tell approach to storytelling, combining narrative reporting with political and historical context: 1. Politics: “On the banks of the Yamuna, a political tussle for Purvanchali support” (October 6): A report on how migration histories shaped electoral strategies in Delhi before the Bihar elections. “Explained: How Delhi’s natural drainage vanished gradually over the centuries” (September 29): An explanatory piece tracing the historical reasons that eventually led to the erosion of Delhi’s rivers and its impact on perrenial flooding. 2. Longforms “Four weddings, three funerals: How a Uttar Pradesh man swindled insurance companies” (October 7): A long-read reconstructing a chilling fraud by a man who killed three of his family members, including both his parents for insurance proceeds. His fourth wife discovered his fraud… “How Ghaziabad conman operated fake embassy of a country that doesn’t exist — for 9 years” (July 27) : A story on bizarre fraud operation and the institutional blind spots that enabled it. 3. Crime and Justice: “He was 8 when his father was killed. Fifteen years later, in UP’s Shamli, he took revenge” (October 18): A deeply reported crime story tracing cycles of violence, memory and justice in rural Uttar Pradesh. “Who killed 19 girls in Nithari? With the SC rejecting appeals, there are no answers and no closure” (July 31): A report capturing the long legal and emotional aftermath of one of India’s most chilling unsolved criminal cases. 4. Policy Impact “At Manthan, over US tariffs, Delhi-NCR’s apparel industry brainstorms solutions” (September 8) and “Trump’s 50% tariff begins to bite: Agra’s leather belt feels the impact” (August 13) : Reports documenting how global trade decisions ripple through local industries, workers and exporters. Signature Style Saman is recognized for her grassroots storytelling. Her articles often focus on the "people behind the policy". She is particularly skilled at taking mundane administrative processes and turning them into compelling human narratives. X (Twitter): @SamanHusain9 ... Read More

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