NewsClick case: ED issues fresh summons to Neville Roy Singham

The Enforcement Directorate has issued fresh summons to Shanghai-based American millionaire Neville Roy Singham over the NewsClick case.

Singham has been booked in a CBI case, pertaining to alleged foreign funding violations, in which NewsClick editor Prabir Purkayastha is also an accused. He had earlier denied the accusations that he was running a funding network affiliated to the Chinese government’s propaganda arm to promote Chinese interests, including in India through NewsClick.

The fresh summons have reportedly been issued through the Ministry of External Affairs.

“It was alleged that the said private company had received unexplained export remittance of about Rs 28.46 crore through four foreign entities in violation of FCRA provisions...there was an unexplained receipt of foreign fund of about Rs 9.59 crore by incorrect characterisation of the fund as FDI. The director of said private company, with his close associates, had allegedly violated the provisions of FCRA,” the CBI had earlier alleged.

Singham has also been accused of anti-India activities such as allegedly exploring the possibility of creating an India map without Kashmir and projecting Arunachal Pradesh as a disputed area.

“To achieve the above objective the accused persons in the guise of foreign funds received money of more than Rs 115 crore in the companies named as PPK NewsClick, GSPAN India, JJ Enterprises, Virtunet System,” the Delhi police had earlier claimed.

NewsClick earlier told the Delhi High Court that the foreign funding violation charge was a bid to “target” the outfit and create a “chilling effect”.