The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) wrote to a group of 12 news publishers on September 16, directing them to take down allegedly defamatory videos related to the Adani Group.
This group of news publishers – including journalists Ravish Kumar, Abhisar Sharma, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, and Dhruv Rathee, and news organisations the Wire and Newslaundry – has also received an email from YouTube detailing the list of videos that the publishers have to take down.
These developments come as part of a case that the Adani Group filed against the allegedly defamatory content circulating about it in a Delhi court. On September 6, the court gave interim directions restricting news publishers from publishing/distributing unverified, unsubstantiated and ex facie (on the face of it) defamatory reports about the Adani group till the next date of hearing.
Notably, the order did not exclusively give these directions to the news publishers specifically named in the lawsuit. It also issued a John Doe order, which means that other news publishers unidentified in the suit also received content takedown directions.
Citing this order, the MIB mentioned that the news publishers had to comply with the order within five days and take down the allegedly defamatory content.
“However, it has come to the notice of this Ministry that the above-mentioned order has not been complied with within the stipulated timeline,” the MIB noted. As such, it directed the publishers to take the required action and submit a report to the Ministry within 36 hours.
According to a News Minute report, the government has directed the publishers to take down 138 YouTube videos and 83 Instagram posts based on this court order.
Context about the ongoing defamation case
Adani Group has alleged that these news publishers are “maliciously and deliberately” attacking it and have vested interests which are not only inimical to the Adani Group but also to national interests.
It claims that these publishers have hampered its operations globally, driven away investors, wiped off massive amounts of funds and created panic in the market. The company emphasised that no regulatory authority or court of law has ever found it guilty. Adani Group added that while it had faced regulatory and media scrutiny in 2023, it had come out clean from the same.
“There is a prima facie case in favour of the plaintiff [Adani Group]. Even balance of convenience lies in the favour of the plaintiff considering that continual forwarding/publishing/re-tweeting and trolling would further tarnish his image in public perception and may result in media trial,” the court noted. It also instructed the news publishers to take down any unverified and prima facie defamatory content about the Adani Group from their respective articles, social media posts and tweets within five days of the court order.
However, the court also emphasised that it is conscious of the…
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