Overview
- The Delhi High Court annulled the 2020 FIR filed by the Delhi Police EOW and the related Enforcement Directorate ECIR, saying the charges did not disclose any cognisable offence and describing the continuation of the probes as a gross abuse of the process of law.
- The judge held that a money‑laundering ECIR registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act cannot survive independently after the predicate FIR is quashed, a ruling grounded in prior case law and central to dismantling the ED’s case.
- The court noted NewsClick had sought a December 2017 Ministry of Information and Broadcasting clarification that online portals were not covered by print‑media FDI caps, a point that undercut the prosecution’s claim about the April 2018 foreign investment.
- The judgment follows years of enforcement action that included searches, asset freezes and the long detention of editor Prabir Purkayastha; supporters say Purkayastha spent 226 days in jail and the probe led to large staff departures and financial disruption.
- The ED has announced it will appeal to the Supreme Court, so the legal finality and practical consequences—including calls for restitution and for other cases against NewsClick to be dropped—will depend on the higher court’s review.