Court refuses interim relief to Newslaundry in Adani Enterprises gag order appeal

A Delhi court on Wednesday declined to grant interim relief to digital news platform Newslaundry in its appeal challenging a civil court’s gag order restraining the publication of defamatory content against Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL).

District Judge Sunil Chaudhary observed that Newslaundry could not claim to be an aggrieved party as it was not among the defendants named in AEL’s original defamation suit. The court further noted that any action directed at intermediaries hosting Newslaundry’s content under the John Doe order could be challenged separately by the platform.

As a result, the court refrained from passing any interim orders in favour of Newslaundry and sought a reply from AEL on the appeal. The next hearing is scheduled for October 15.

The gag order in question was issued on September 6 by Senior Civil Judge Anuj Kumar Singh of Rohini Court. The order directed the removal of defamatory content targeting AEL and barred journalists from publishing unverified or defamatory material about the company.

AEL had filed the defamation suit, alleging that certain journalists and organisations had damaged its reputation, causing massive financial losses and harming the credibility of India’s brand internationally. The company accused these individuals of aligning with “anti-India interests” and deliberately targeting critical infrastructure and energy projects with ulterior motives.

The suit cited articles published on platforms, including paranjoy.in, adaniwatch.org, and adanifiles.com.au, claiming they contained repeated defamatory statements against AEL.