In an unfolding saga, the accused behind the online portal, NewsClick, currently under investigation for its purported ties to China, are facing allegations of engaging in a conspiracy to “subvert” India’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity,” as detailed in an FIR.
The FIR asserts that NewsClick, through its subsidiary entity, the People’s Dispatch Portal, deliberately disseminated fabricated narratives concerning Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh. These narratives were allegedly propagated using substantial foreign funds, clandestinely routed through a web of shell companies, in violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
Prominent Chinese telecommunications giants, including Xiaomi and Vivo, are implicated in incorporating thousands of shell corporations within India for the surreptitious infusion of foreign capital.
The accused individuals, including NewsClick’s founder and editor-in-chief, Prabir Purkayastha, activist Neville Roy Singham, and writer Geeta Hariharan, are accused of conspiring to establish a legal network within India to mount a robust defense for these Chinese telecom behemoths, ostensibly in exchange for favors. A certain “Gautam Bhatia” is cited as a pivotal figure in this alleged scheme.
According to the FIR, both domestic and foreign entities are purportedly involved in financing and supporting the farmers’ protest, ostensibly with the aim of inflicting substantial economic losses on the Indian economy.
Moreover, the accused are alleged to have promulgated fallacious narratives to discredit the central government’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis and are accused of plotting to sabotage the integrity of the 2019 general elections.
The FIR goes on to assert that these individuals engaged in a complex network of illicit financial transactions through convoluted channels, employing multiple companies to surreptitiously introduce foreign funds for executing the aforementioned activities.
Since April 2018, NewsClick is alleged to have received significant foreign funds through unscrupulous means. Neville Roy Singham, described in the FIR as an “active member of the Communist Party of China,” is said to have fraudulently orchestrated this influx of funds.
Further, Gautam Navlakha, a shareholder in NewsClick, is implicated in activities detrimental to India’s interests, purportedly supporting banned Naxal organizations and having ties with a spy agent affiliated with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
The FIR contends that NewsClick’s employees and owners corresponded via email with individuals in China with the apparent intent of depicting Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh as “disputed territories.”
These unlawfully channeled foreign funds are alleged to have been misappropriated by Prabir Purkayastha and his associates, including Joseph Raj, Anoop Chakraborty, and Bappaditya Sinha. Additionally, it is alleged that these funds found their way to Gautam Navlakha and associates of Teesta Seetalwaad, among others.
This evolving narrative underscores the intricate web of alleged financial impropriety and foreign influence that has cast a shadow over NewsClick and its associates, with significant implications for India’s national interests and sovereignty.
