The founder and editor-in-chief of NewsClick was ordered to be released immediately by the Supreme Court on Wednesday concerning a case involving the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). According to India Today, the Delhi Police neglected to give the applicant in the case a copy of the remand order therefore, the top court bench, made up of Justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta, declared the arrest to be “VOID.”

The top court stated that Purkayastha’s arrest was legally void since the Delhi Police had violated the principles of natural justice by failing to give him a copy of his remand plea. Since the chargesheet in the case has been filed, the Supreme Court ordered his immediate release. The top court also stated that surety requirements for bail may be imposed by the trial court.

Advocate Arshdeep Khurana, Purkayastha’s attorney, commented on the top court’s decision to free the NewsClick founder and editor-in-chief, telling news agency ANI that they had been instructed to provide the bail bond before the trial court.

“This is a major and a big relief because we have been maintaining from the beginning that the entire proceedings against him were illegal and the manner of arrest was illegal, which has now been upheld by the Supreme Court,” Khurana stated.

Purkayastha was taken into custody under the UAPA by the Delhi Police Special Cell in October of last year. Following a New York Times piece that alleged NewsClick was being sponsored by an American billionaire to promote Chinese propaganda, multiple raids were carried out, culminating in his arrest.

The online news outlet NewsClick allegedly received large sums from China to “disrupt the sovereignty of India” and create anti-Indian sentiment, according to the formal complaint against the company. Additionally, it stated that Prabir Purkayastha was suspected of working with the People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS) to disrupt the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.