New Delhi, September 18, 2025 – The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has issued notices to journalists and media outlets, including Ravish Kumar, Ajit Anjum, Dhruv Rathee, Newslaundry, The Wire, HW News, and Aakash Banerjee’s The Deshbhakt, to remove 138 YouTube videos and 83 Instagram posts referencing the Adani Group. The directive, dated September 16, invokes an ex-parte interim injunction by the Rohini district court in a defamation suit filed by Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL), ordering the removal of allegedly defamatory content within five days.
Scope of Takedown Notices
The flagged content spans investigative reports, satirical pieces, and incidental mentions of Adani. Notable examples include:
- Newslaundry: 42 YouTube videos, including episodes of TV Newsance on the Adani-NDTV takeover, Dharavi project reports, and podcasts like NL Hafta, NL Charcha, and NL Tippani. A subscription appeal video with an Adani screenshot and an interview with comedian Kunal Kamra joking about censorship were also targeted.
- The Wire: Interviews by Sreenivasan Jain with NCP leaders Sharad and Ajit Pawar, confirming Gautam Adani hosted a 2019 meeting discussing potential NCP-BJP alignment.
- Others: Three videos by Atul Chaurasia on U.S. cases against Adani, and content from The News Minute hosted on Newslaundry’s channel, including episodes of South Central and Let Me Explain.
The MIB claims non-compliance with the court’s September 6 order, demanding action within 36 hours and notifying Meta Platforms Inc. and Google Inc. under the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
Court Order and Legal Context
The gag order, issued by Senior Civil Judge Anuj Kumar Singh, stems from a defamation suit by AEL against journalists like Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and websites such as paranjoy.in, adaniwatch.org, and adanifiles.com.au. AEL, represented by senior advocate Jagdeep Sharma, alleged that repeated “baseless and malicious” reports, including references to the 2023 Hindenburg Research allegations of financial irregularities, damaged its brand, delayed projects, and eroded investor confidence. The court noted that unverified reports could “wipe off billions worth of investor’s money” and cause “loss of goodwill and reputation” globally.
The ex-parte injunction, issued without hearing the defendants, restrains named journalists (Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Ravi Nair, Abir Dasgupta, Ayaskant Das, Ayush Joshi, and others) from publishing defamatory material. However, it clarifies that “fair and accurate reporting based on substantiated and verified material” on investigations and court proceedings is protected.
Reactions and Criticism
The broad scope of the takedown order, targeting entities not named in the suit, has sparked outrage:
- Paranjoy Guha Thakurta defended his reporting as “verified, factual, fair, balanced, unbiased, and in the public interest,” noting this as his seventh defamation case from Adani since 2017. He plans to challenge the order, expressing faith in India’s judiciary.
- Indira Jaising, senior advocate, criticized the MIB’s involvement, stating, “The court knows how to implement its own orders; the Ministry is preempting the judicial process.” She questioned the government’s role in a civil suit, noting defendants have filed appeals.
- Editors Guild of India expressed “deep concern” over the “John Doe” injunction’s chilling effect on free speech, urging due process.
- Aakash Banerjee remarked on X, “A man who owns one of India’s biggest media conglomerates is discovering that news content creators… have one thing that money can’t buy.”
- Ravish Kumar quipped on X that September 17 should be “Adani Video Takedown Day.”
On September 17, the Delhi court declined an urgent hearing on appeals against the order, prolonging the legal battle.
