By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: The Press Club of India (PCI) on Saturday welcomed the Delhi High Court’s decision to repeal the FIR and subsequent Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) filed against news portal Newsclick and its founding editor, Prabir Purkayastha, in connection with alleged violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
In a statement issued on June 13, the PCI said the High Court‘s order vindicated concerns raised by a large section of the media fraternity, which had viewed the enforcement actions against Newsclick as an attack on independent journalism.
The court, while dismissing the FIR and ECIR, reportedly described the proceedings as “a gross abuse of the process of law” and held that they were “mala fide” and amounted to “an arbitrary attack and abuse of powers on the free and impartial journalism” of the petitioners.
The Press Club stated that many journalists had believed since the Enforcement Directorate‘s raids in October 2023 that a “witch hunt” had been launched against Newsclick and Purkayastha for carrying out journalism that was allegedly inconvenient to the government. According to the PCI, the enforcement actions were intended to create a chilling effect on press freedom and serve as a warning to media organisations critical of the executive.
While welcoming the court’s intervention, the PCI noted that the actions taken by the Delhi Police and the Enforcement Directorate had caused significant hardship to journalists associated with Newsclick, leading to job losses, seizure of equipment and financial distress.
The organisation said the news portal had been severely affected by the prolonged legal proceedings and urged the government to refrain from undertaking similar actions against journalists and media organisations in the future.
The PCI also called on the Press Council of India to initiate proceedings against those responsible for the prosecution of Newsclick and Purkayastha,and sought suitable compensation for journalists who suffered financial losses due to loss of livelihood and confiscation of equipment.
“The failure to hold accountable those responsible for this blatant attack on the free press will defeat the purpose of its existence,” the statement said.
The statement was jointly signed by PCI President Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty and Secretary General Afza Imam.