• Source:JND

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday slapped a Rs 184 crore FEMA penalty notice against news portal NewsClick and its editor-in-chief, Prabir Purkayastha.

Of the total penalty, the company that owns the portal, PPK NEWSCLICK Studio Private Limited, has been hit with a fine of Rs 120 crore, while Purkayastha faces a Rs 64 crore fine for alleged violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

ALSO READ: AI Impact Summit 2026: Emmanuel Macron To Sundar Pichai And Sam Altman, Global Leaders To Attend Delhi Event | Full List

According to news agency PTI, the Enforcement Directorate found the entities "contravening" the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) on essentially two counts, misrepresentation of FDI funds apart from misdeclaration of services and exports.

ED Raided Premises Of NewsClick In 2021

The FEMA penalty notice comes after the federal agency first raided the premises of the news portal in the Saidulajab area of the national capital in September 2021 on charges of money laundering, PTI report added.

The ED initiated its probe after the Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing registered a case against NewsClick and its editor-in-chief in 2020 on charges of money laundering.

ALSO READ: New Income Tax Rules: Income Tax Department Put Credit Card Spending Under Tight Scrutiny; What To Expect From April 1

The controversy intensified in 2023 after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) quoted a New York Times news article alleging the news portal was part of a global network that received funding from American billionaire Neville Roy Singham, who is allegedly linked to the Chinese government media machine.

However, Newsclick, founded in 2009, maintains that it is an independent media organisation focussed on covering news from India and elsewhere.

(With PTI Inputs) 


Also In News