The Supreme Court, on Tuesday, issued directives for AIIMS to establish a medical board tasked with scrutinizing the health status of Prabir Purkayastha, the founder of NewsClick. Presently confined within the confines of Tihar Jail, Purkayastha finds himself entangled in a legal web under the anti-terror statute, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. A bench presided over by Justices B R Gavai and Sandeep Mehta mandated the director of AIIMS to orchestrate the formation of this board, charging them with furnishing a comprehensive report within a fortnight.
Considering the manifold intricacies at play, a prudent course of action involves subjecting Purkayastha’s medical condition to the scrutiny of a board appointed by the director of AIIMS. This board is tasked not only with a thorough examination but also with perusing the jail records and delving into the complete medical history of the petitioner. This directive materialized following senior advocate Kapil Sibal’s assertion, representing Purkayastha, that the prison authorities’ report on his client’s medical well-being was devoid of accuracy.
The Delhi High Court, on October 13, dismissed the pleas lodged by Purkayastha and Amit Chakravarty, the head of the news portal’s human resources department, contesting their arrest and subsequent police remand in the case. The Special Cell of the Delhi Police apprehended both individuals on October 3. The FIR, the lodestar of this legal saga, contends that substantial funds flowed into the news portal from China with purported intent to “disrupt the sovereignty of India” and instigate disaffection against the nation.
The narrative further alleges a conspiracy wherein Purkayastha collaborated with a faction known as the People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS) to subvert the electoral process during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.