India's CBI to probe against NewsClick over foreign fund rules violation, searches on

India's Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday registered a case against NewsClick for alleged violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act.

Searches are being carried out at two locations in Delhi -- the office and the residence of NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha.

The initiation of the CBI probe into the case comes a day after a Delhi court sent Prabir Purkayastha and NewsClick HR head Amit Chakravarty to 10-day judicial custody. The duo were arrested in a case under the UAPA for allegations that the news portal took money to spread pro-China propaganda.

On 3 October, Purakayastha and Chakravarty were arrested and the NewsClick office was sealed. 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 3 October on the suspects named in the 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 in Delhi and NCR.

NewsClick rejected Chinese fund allegation

NewsClick issued a statement and said the proceedings initiated against the portal are nothing but a blatant attempt to muzzle the free and independent press in India.

"The Newsclick has not received any funding or instructions from China or Chinese entities. Further, Newsclick has never committed or sought to encourage violence, secession or any illegal act in any manner whatsoever...A perusal of Newsclick's coverage, which is freely available online, should be sufficient to indicate the veracity of Newsclick's claims," it said.