Gujarat High Court delays release of journalist Ravi Nair amid Adani defamation case

Ravi Nair, a journalist and public commentator, remains jailed after the Gujarat High Court deferred his petition for release in a criminal defamation suit brought by Adani Enterprises Limited. He was detained on September 17 following a non-bailable warrant issued for failing to appear at a hearing earlier in the month. The court granted the corporate complainant more time to file its reply and set the next hearing for Wednesday.

The dispute concerns a collection of posts on the social media platform X, published from October 2020 to July 2021, which cited US short-seller Hindenburg Research and opposed a proposed privatisation of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust. A magistrate in Gandhinagar had convicted Nair and sentenced him to one year’s imprisonment, noting his responsibility as a journalist to consider the impact of his statements. Although an appellate court later granted bail, Nair missed a required appearance on September 3, prompting the issuance of the warrant. Both parties argued before the High Court, with the complainant seeking to present additional facts that could be detrimental to Nair.