Newsclick HR head seeks pardon, wants to turn approver

NewsClick's human resources department head Amit Chakravarty has moved a Delhi court seeking its permission to turn an approver in the case lodged under anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) over allegations that the news portal received money to spread pro-China propaganda, court sources said.

Chakravarty moved the application before Special Judge Hardeep Kaur last week, seeking pardon in the case and claiming he had material information that he was willing to disclose to the Delhi Police, which is investigating the matter.

The judge has posted the matter before a magisterial court for recording Chakravarty's statement.

According to police sources, the agency will take a decision on whether to support his application before the court after going through his statement.

The Special Cell of Delhi Police had arrested Chakravarty and news portal's founder and Editor-in-Chief Prabir Purkayastha on October 3.

They are currently in judicial custody.

According to the FIR, a large amount of funds to the news portal came from China to 'disrupt the sovereignty of India' and cause disaffection against the country.

It also alleged Purkayastha conspired with a group -- People's Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS) -- to sabotage the electoral process during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Raids were conducted at 88 locations in Delhi and seven in other states on October 3 on the suspects named in the first information report (FIR) and those that surfaced in the analysis of data, police said.

Around 300 electronic gadgets were also seized from the offices of NewsClick and the residences of the journalists who were examined.

Following the raids, 46 individuals, including nine female journalists, were questioned by the Special Cell.