Delhi court bars 'defamatory content' on Adani Enterprises
At the same time, court also stresses that Constitutional guarantee of free speech must be respected
A Delhi court has issued an interim order restraining a group of journalists, activists and organisations from circulating what it described as 'unverified and defamatory material' against Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL).
The order, passed ex parte on Saturday, 6 September by senior civil judge Anuj Kumar Singh of the Rohini Court, directed Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Ravi Nair, Abir Dasgupta, Ayaskant Das, Ayush Joshi and others to remove or expunge content deemed defamatory from their websites and social media platforms within five days.
Adani Enterprises approached the court alleging that a series of articles and posts published on portals such as paranjoy.in, adaniwatch.org and adanifiles.com.au had caused irreparable harm to its reputation, brand equity and investor confidence.
The company argued that such publications were aligned with “anti-India interests” and deliberately sought to disrupt its infrastructure and energy projects, including its Australian operations, which it said were vital for India’s energy security.
The court noted that AEL had made out a prima facie case for interim relief but stressed that the Constitutional guarantee of free speech must be respected.
Instead of imposing a blanket ban on reporting, the order restricted the defendants from circulating “unverified, unsubstantiated and ex-facie defamatory” content against the company until the next hearing.
In its plea, the Adani Group also referred to the Hindenburg Research report, which in early 2023 raised concerns over the conglomerate’s debt and suggested its stock value could drop by up to 90 per cent. AEL argued that such allegations, amplified through repeated publication, had strained its balance sheets, hindered investment plans and delayed project timelines.
The matter will be heard further at a later date. Senior advocate Jagdeep Sharma, along with advocates Vijay Aggarwal, Guneet Sidhu, Verdaan Jain, Muskan Aggarwal and Deepak Aggarwal represented Adani Enterprises.