Journalist bodies and activists have welcomed the quashing of FIR against NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha (centre).
| Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO
Digital news platform NewsClick on Thursday said the Delhi High Court’s decision to quash an FIR registered against it and its founder and Editor-in-Chief Prabir Purkayastha has vindicated its long-held position that the case was an “attack on press freedom”.“NewsClick’s only fault has been to practise journalism that covers people’s movements,” the organisation said in a statement.The Delhi High Court quashed the FIR registered by Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing and proceedings initiated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against NewsClick and Mr. Purkayastha, holding that allegations relating to foreign direct investment (FDI), share valuation and expenditure of funds did not disclose offences of cheating or criminal breach of trust.According to NewsClick, the court noted that the ED proceedings were “not only mala fide, but also an arbitrary attack and abuse of powers on the free and impartial journalism of the petitioners”.“Apart from bald assertions of there being a criminal conspiracy, there was not a whisper of any incriminating allegation... the continuation of the FIR was nothing but a gross abuse of the process of law,” the statement quoted from the judgment. NewsClick said the verdict had reaffirmed its faith in the judiciary and expressed confidence that other proceedings against it will also be resolved.‘Misuse of law’The May 29 judgment has been welcomed by journalist bodies, civil society groups and legal experts, many of whom have called for an inquiry into the actions of police and ED officials, and demanded compensation for the financial and personal losses incurred during the investigation and legal battle.Editors Guild of India General Secretary Raghavan Srinivasan welcomed the ruling, saying it highlighted the “misuse of law” by state agencies acting at the behest of political authorities to intimidate journalists and curb media freedom.“The order will serve as a precedent and put restraints on the misuse of state agencies against dissenting voices,” he said.Transparency and anti-corruption activist Anjali Bhardwaj said the judgment “exposed the politicisation” of agencies such as the ED, which are expected to function independently. Senior Supreme Court lawyer Colin Gonsalves described the judgment as “historic” and “hard-hitting”.‘Concocted allegations’Senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat termed the ruling “significant”, saying the case had sought to silence an important dissenting voice in the media. “This goes beyond individual case. The allegations were concocted and manufactured. It requires a lot of courage to report on events that show the misuse of power,” she said.Delhi University professor and public intellectual Apoorvanand said the nature of the raids and probe suggested an attempt to cripple NewsClick as a media organisation. “How do you recover the losses of the employees who lost their jobs?” he said. Published - June 12, 2026 12:42 am IST
