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Foreign Funding Case: HC Quashes FIR, ED Case Against NewsClick, Founder
The court found no incriminating evidence after 1.5 years of ED scrutiny and said the case was a gross abuse of legal process.
- On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court quashed the Economic Offences Wing's FIR against NewsClick and founder-editor Prabir Purkayastha, dismissing allegations of foreign direct investment violations.
- The 2020 case alleged NewsClick received Rs 9.59 crore from Worldwide Media Holdings LLC via overvalued shares to bypass regulatory caps, prompting an Enforcement Directorate money laundering investigation.
- Citing policy records, Justice Neena Bansal Krishna noted no foreign investment cap existed for digital news in 2018 and dismissed claims that salaries and rent constituted siphoned funds.
- Describing the investigation as a "fishing and roving exercise," the court ruled the case was "nothing but a gross abuse of the process of law" due to lack of evidence.
- With the predicate FIR quashed, the Enforcement Directorate's related money laundering proceedings were simultaneously dismissed, providing relief to the outlet after years of intense regulatory scrutiny.
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'Gross Abuse of Law': Delhi High Court Quashes NewsClick Money Laundering Case
The Delhi High Court has quashed the First Information Report filed by the Economic Offences Wing and the Enforcement Directorate’s money laundering case against NewsClick and its editor-in-chief, Prabir Purkayastha. The court found that the proceedings, which stemmed from allegations of illegal foreign funding, constituted a gross abuse of the legal process. The judgment, delivered on 29 May 2026, concluded that the actions taken against the ne…
·India
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'No cheating if no one's aggrieved'—How Delhi HC poked holes in EOW, ED cases against NewsClick, founder
Quashing the cases, high court also pulled up Delhi Police EOW & ED over 'gross abuse of law', 'bald & baseless allegations' & 'arbitrary attack on petitioners' free & impartial journalism'.
·New Delhi, India
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources20
Leaning Left5Leaning Right4Center2Last UpdatedBias Distribution46% Left
Bias Distribution
- 46% of the sources lean Left
46% Left
L 46%
C 18%
R 36%
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