Taking data from personal devices intrusion into privacy: Newslaundry founder
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New Delhi: News portals NewsClick and Newslaundry that have been critical of the Union government and its policy yesterday found their office premises were raided by the Income Tax department over alleged tax evasion.
Responding to the raids that went on over 12 hours, Newslaundry co-founder Abhinandan Sekhri tweeted that he was told by the officers that he was not allowed to talk to his lawyer by the law.
Sekhri said that the officers took possession of his mobile phone and laptop and downloaded the data on these devices which he called an intrusion into his privacy and violation of the fundamental right to privacy.
He further said that the IT officers did not allow him to contact his lawyer as he was told to comply with the law that requires him not to seek legal advice. Sekhri further said that he was not given a "signed hash value of the data copied" despite his request.
NewsClick has not made any statement about the latest IT search till now.
The Enforcement Directorate in February this year had raided the office of NewsClick as well as the home of its editor-in-chief, Prabir Purkayastha. In addition, homes of other members of senior management were also searched. These raids reportedly pertained to a money laundering case and foreign funding.
In July, the Delhi High Court had extended the interim protection from coercive action granted to Newsclick and Prabir Purkayastha in connection with the ED money-laundering case. The Press Council of India, Editors Guild and Digipub had condemned the raids and called them unsavoury and reeking of malaise.
NewsClick had reacted then and said, "It has become a routine practice with the present government to deploy government-controlled agencies to deal with all those who disagree with and criticise the government. In the past, the Income Tax department, the ED, various Central investigative agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation and National Investigation Agency, have been selectively used in this manner against a range of people – from journalists to political leaders, to even farmers' leaders."