NEW DELHI — The Editors Guild of India expressed deep concern on Wednesday over an ex-parte “John Doe” injunction by the Rohini District Court in the Adani Enterprises Ltd. vs. Paranjoy Guha Thakurta & Ors case, which restrains nine named journalists and organizations, along with unnamed others, from publishing allegedly defamatory material about the company, according to details received by The Chenab Times.
Issued on September 17, 2025, the order allows Adani Enterprises to forward URLs of content it deems defamatory to intermediaries or government agencies for removal within 36 hours, the Guild stated. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s subsequent notices to YouTube and Instagram to remove 138 links and 83 posts amplify this concern, effectively empowering a private entity to dictate content takedowns.
The Guild warned that such powers risk censorship, chilling legitimate reporting, commentary, and satire, and undermining freedom of speech. It urged the judiciary to address defamation through due process, avoiding prior restraint via one-sided injunctions, and called on the government to refrain from acting as an enforcement arm for private litigants.
“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 statement, signed by President Anant Nath, General Secretary Ruben Banerjee, and Treasurer K Ve Prasad, concluded.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
