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The Press Club of India (PCI) connected Saturday (June 13, 2026) welcomed the Delhi High Court order quashing the archetypal accusation study (FIR) and the consequent Enforcement Directorate’s lawsuit against the quality portal NewsClick and its founding exertion Prabir Purkayastha.
The PCI said the Delhi High Court, connected May 29, observed that the cases filed against NewsClick and Mr. Purkayastha were “a gross maltreatment of the process of instrumentality and is hereby, quashed”. The tribunal further observed that “not lone are the contiguous proceedings mala fide, but besides an arbitrary onslaught and maltreatment of powerfulness connected the escaped and impartial journalism of the petitioners”.
“The observations made successful the Delhi High Court’s bid vindicate what a ample conception of the media fraternity believed close from the clip erstwhile ED raids were carried retired astatine aggregate locations successful October 2023: that a witch-hunt had been launched against NewsClick and Mr. Purkayastha for practising journalism that was inconvenient to the government,” said the PCI statement.
“The sole intent of the enforcement enactment was to induce a chilling effect connected the functioning of the escaped property and clasp it up arsenic an illustration of consequences foretold for anyone who dares to question the enforcement oregon the government,” it said.
‘Stop persecution’
Stating that the tribunal bid rightly enactment an extremity to 1 of the astir perverse examples of vindictiveness against property freedom, the PCI said the actions of Delhi Police and the ED resulted successful journalists moving astatine NewsClick losing their jobs and invaluable equipment, causing them acute fiscal distress.
The PCI urged the authorities to refrain from “such targeted persecution of journalists and the escaped property successful the future”. “...it is important for the media fraternity to telephone upon the Press Council of India to initiate proceedings against those astatine whose behest the prosecution of NewsClick, Mr. Purkayastha, and journalists moving astatine the portal was carried out, and guarantee that those who suffered fiscal losses owed to deprivation of livelihood and seizure of instrumentality beryllium suitably compensated,” the PCI said.
