‘Gross abuse of process of law’: HC quashes Delhi Police, ED cases against NewsClick
The Delhi High Court has quashed cases filed by the Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against news portal NewsClick and its editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha. The cases alleged violations of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) norms and money laundering. The High Court ruled that the FIR by Delhi Police was a "gross abuse of the process of law" and that the investment was an economic decision, not a criminal offence, especially since there was no FDI cap in digital media at the time. Consequently, the ED's money laundering case (ECIR), being dependent on the predicate offence, was also quashed, as no incriminating evidence was found despite extensive investigations.
The Delhi High Court has quashed cases filed by the Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against news portal NewsClick and its editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha. The cases alleged violations of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) norms and money laundering. The High Court ruled that the FIR by Delhi Police was a "gross abuse of the process of law" and that the investment was an economic decision, not a criminal offence, especially since there was no FDI cap in digital media at the time. Consequently, the ED's money laundering case (ECIR), being dependent on the predicate offence, was also quashed, as no incriminating evidence was found despite extensive investigations.
Exam linkage
GS Paper 2: Indian Polity & Governance - Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary; Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity. Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Syllabus mapping
This topic appears in Mains
Questions on Indian Polity & Governance come up regularly in GS papers. Practice writing an answer — and see exactly what earns marks.