A brief but intense hearing unfolded in the Delhi High Court on Friday as Justice Sachin Datta brought to an end two writ petitions filed by digital media platform Newslaundry and senior journalist Ravish Kumar. Both had challenged the Union government’s notice asking them to remove reports and videos about the Adani Group. By late afternoon, the matter settled quietly when all sides confirmed an “understanding,” leading the court to dispose of the cases.
Background
The dispute began earlier this month when the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting circulated a September 16 civil court order. That ex-parte order had directed removal of allegedly defamatory content about the Adani conglomerate. Though neither Newslaundry nor Ravish Kumar was a party to the defamation suit, the ministry’s letter nudged them to pull down their material.
Newslaundry and Kumar argued this amounted to prior restraint on journalism and violated the constitutional guarantee of free speech. Their petitions landed in the High Court soon after, attracting attention from press-freedom advocates.
Court’s Observations
During Friday’s hearing, Justice Datta recorded that Adani Enterprises, now a party to the petitions, would not push for further takedowns of Newslaundry’s or Ravish Kumar’s work-at least for now. “The bench observed, ‘The plaintiff shall not seek removal of any additional material already hosted as of 12 p.m. on September 26,’” noting that any content voluntarily removed earlier cannot be re-uploaded until the civil court decides pending injunction requests.
Senior advocate Anurag Ahluwalia, representing Adani, clarified that the journalists could instead argue their case before the senior civil judge under Order 39 Rules 1 and 2 of the Civil Procedure Code, a provision dealing with temporary injunctions. Counsel for the Union of India assured the bench that a corrigendum would be sent to the petitioners to reflect this new understanding.
Decision
With these assurances on record, Justice Datta disposed of both writ petitions, stressing that the High Court was expressing no opinion on the merits of the defamation allegations. For now, Newslaundry and Ravish Kumar face no fresh takedown demands, while the underlying civil suit will decide the long-term fate of the disputed reports and videos.
Case: Newslaundry & Ravish Kumar vs Union of India & Adani Enterprises
Date of Order: 26 September 2025