Press Club welcomes HC order to quash cases against NewsClick and Prabir Purkayasth

NewsClick Editor Prabir Purkayastha. | Photo credit: Giri KVS

The Press Club of India (PCI) on Saturday (June 13, 2026) welcomed the Delhi High Court’s order quashing the First Information Report (FIR) and the subsequent Enforcement Directorate case against news portal NewsClick and its founding editor Prabir Purkayasth.

PCI said the Delhi High Court on May 29 observed that the cases filed against NewsClick and Mr. Purkayasth were “gross abuse of process of law and are hereby quashed”. The court further stated that “not only is this proceeding malo fide, but it is also an arbitrary attack and abuse of power on the petitioners’ free and impartial journalism.”

“The observations made in the Delhi High Court order confirm what a large section of the media fraternity has believed ever since the ED raids at several locations in October 2023: that a witch-hunt has been launched against NewsClick and Mr. Purkayasth for practicing journalism inconvenient to the government,” PCI said.

“The sole purpose of the enforcement action was to produce a chilling effect on the functioning of a free press and to hold it up as an example of the consequences predicted for anyone who dares to challenge the executive or government,” it said.

‘Stop Persecution’

PCI said the court order rightfully ended one of the most perverse examples of vendetta against press freedom and said the actions of the Delhi Police and ED had resulted in journalists working at NewsClick losing their jobs and valuable equipment, causing them acute financial hardship.

PCI called on the government to refrain from “such targeted persecution of journalists and the free press” in the future. “…it is important that the media fraternity urges the Press Council of India to initiate proceedings against those who ordered the prosecution of NewsClick, Mr. Purkayastha and journalists working on the portal and ensure that those who have suffered financial loss due to deprivation of livelihood and confiscation of equipment are adequately compensated,” PCI said.

Published – 13 Jun 2026 22:13 IST