On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court granted anticipatory bail to Prabir Purkayastha, the founder of NewsClick, in a foreign funding case initiated by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police.

Justice Neena Bansal Krishna’s bench also approved anticipatory bail for Prabir in the money laundering case linked to the EOW investigation. “Bail granted,” stated Justice Neena Bansal Krishna while delivering the ruling.

Additionally, the court provided anticipatory bail to Pranjal Pandey, the director of the portal, in the EOW case. A comprehensive copy of the ruling is still pending.

In August 2020, the EOW filed a first information report (FIR) against the news portal for allegedly breaching FDI regulations under sections 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust), 420 (punishment for cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), and 120B (punishment for criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The EOW’s investigation also led to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filing an FIR against the portal for purportedly inflating share values and misdirecting funds.

In July 2021, the high court had provided interim protection from arrest in these cases.

In 2023, the Delhi Police’s special cell registered a case under the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), alleging that foreign funds were received through Chinese companies to undermine the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The FIR from the special cell claimed that the accused conspired with a group named Peoples Alliance for Democracy and Secularism to disrupt the 2019 general elections. The police also alleged that funds were funneled into the portal by Chinese firms Xiaomi and Vivo, facilitated by shell companies.

In May of the previous year, the Supreme Court mandated the immediate release of Prabir in the UAPA case, declaring that his arrest and subsequent remand were unlawful.