The Editors Guild of India on Wednesday expressed concern over a Delhi court order that bars journalists from publishing material deemed “unverified, unsubstantiated and ex facie defamatory” about Adani Enterprises.
EGI warned that the order, coupled with government action, risks curbing free expression and undermining press freedom.
“The Guild is concerned that such blanket powers granted to a corporate entity, coupled with ministerial action in issuing takedown directions, are a step towards censorship. They risk chilling legitimate reporting, commentary, and satire, and undermine the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression,” the statement said.
The Guild urged the judiciary to ensure defamation claims are addressed through due process, and not through one-sided injunctions that amount to prior restraint.
It called upon the government to exercise restraint and avoid acting as an enforcement arm for private litigants in civil disputes.
“A free and fearless press is indispensable to democracy. Any system that allows private interests to unilaterally silence critical or uncomfortable voices poses a serious risk to the public's right to know,” the EGI added.
The concerns come after the Rohini district court, in Adani Enterprises Ltd. vs. Paranjoy Guha Thakurta & Ors., granted an ex parte “John Doe” injunction restraining nine named journalists and organisations, along with unnamed others, from publishing or circulating allegedly defamatory material about the company.
The order allows Adani Enterprises to forward URLs and links of content it considers defamatory to intermediaries or government agencies, who are then obliged to remove the content within 36 hours.
Following the order, the ministry of information and broadcasting issued notices to platforms including YouTube and Instagram, directing the removal of more than 138 YouTube links and 83 Instagram posts.
The notice cited the civil suit and was sent to Meta and Google, which own Instagram and YouTube.
On Tuesday night, the ministry ordered platforms and news outlets, including Newslaundry, The Wire, and HW News, as well as journalists Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Ajit Anjum, and Ravish Kumar, and satirist Akash Banerjee, to comply.
A senior civil judge of the court had passed the ex parte order on September 6, directing the respondents to take down what the plaintiff alleged to be defamatory content targeting its businesses.
An ex parte order is issued without hearing the defence.
“You are directed to take appropriate action for compliance of the aforementioned order, and submit the action taken to the ministry within 36 hours of the issue of this communication,” the ministry said.
Journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta on Tuesday appealed in a Delhi district court against the civil court order. Speaking to PTI, Thakurta said that an appeal had been filed against the September 6 order.
The defendants include Thakurta, Ravi Nair, Abir Dasgupta, Ayaskanta Das, Ayush Joshi, Bob Brown Foundation, Dreamscape Network International Private Limited, Getup Limited, Domain Directors Private Limited trading as Instra, and John Doe parties.
