Politics · India · 6 hrs ago
Supreme Court seeks NewsClick's response to ED appeal
The Supreme Court has asked NewsClick and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha to respond to an appeal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The case concerns an ED money-laundering investigation into NewsClick, an online news outlet, and its parent company in India.
The Delhi High Court quashed the ED case on May 29, saying the underlying police FIR should not continue and that the related ED case should therefore close.
The ED argues that the High Court did not properly examine its case and says there was a five-month delay in issuing the judgment.
The investigation involved allegations about foreign funds, including claims of rule-breaking foreign investment and a disputed explanation for funds received from a US entity.
The Supreme Court has set a four-week deadline for responses, after which the case can proceed; it has not ruled on the ED's appeal.
The Supreme Court on November 6 sought responses from NewsClick and its editor-in-chief, Prabir Purkayastha, to the Enforcement Directorate’s appeal against a Delhi High Court order quashing a money-laundering case.
The court gave them four weeks to respond.
The ED argues that the High Court quashed its enforcement case information report without examining the money-laundering case and overlooked its contentions.
The High Court had ruled that the ED case should be closed after the underlying police FIR was quashed.
The Supreme Court bench expressed reservations about the ED’s appeal.
- Who
- The Supreme Court sought responses from NewsClick and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha. The appeal was brought by the Enforcement Directorate.
- What
- The ED is challenging a Delhi High Court order quashing its enforcement case information report in a money-laundering case.
- When
- The Supreme Court acted on November 6, 2026. It gave NewsClick and Purkayastha four weeks to respond.
- Where
- The Supreme Court in New Delhi.
- Why
- The ED says the High Court quashed its case without examining it and overlooked the agency’s contentions.
Enforcement Directorate
NewsClick and the Delhi High Court
Basis for quashing the ED case
Enforcement Directorate
The High Court quashed the underlying police FIR, so the ED’s case should also be closed.
NewsClick and the Delhi High Court
The ED says the High Court quashed its enforcement case information report without examining the money-laundering case.
High Court judgment
Enforcement Directorate
The High Court said continuing the underlying FIR was a gross abuse of the process of law.
NewsClick and the Delhi High Court
The ED argues that critical prosecution contentions were overlooked or left unaddressed.
The Delhi High Court quashed the underlying FIR and said the ED’s ECIR was liable to be closed.
The Supreme Court sought responses from NewsClick and Prabir Purkayastha and gave them four weeks to reply.
- Response deadline
- Four weeks
- Supreme Court bench
- Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana
- High Court ruling
- May 29
- Alleged FDI amount
- ₹9.59 crore
- Parent company named in FIR
- PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt. Ltd.
3 sources
What people are saying
the appeal does not inspire confidence
nothing but a gross abuse of the process of law
Donations to the tune of Rs 76 crore were received from JEF US... for... export of services, when in reality, no real export of services ever took place and the aforesaid device was created to overcome the legal bar under FCRA.