I&B Ministry directs digital news publishers to remove defamatory content related to Adani Enterprises

New Delhi: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has directed several digital news publishers to take down content related to Adani Enterprises Limited from YouTube and Instagram, as a court order in this matter has not been complied with.

The ministry said in the notice that the material was defamatory and had to be removed in line with a recent court order.

The order names several well-known journalists and media platforms, including Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Newslaundry, Abhisar Sharma, Ravish Kumar Official, Dhruv Rathee, The Wire, Deepak Sharma, HW News Network, and The Deshbhakt, among others.

According to the ministry’s notice, “it has come to notice of this Ministry that the …(court) Order has not been complied with within the stipulated timeline. Accordingly, you are directed to take appropriate action for compliance of the aforementioned Order, and submit the action taken to the Ministry within 36 hours of the issue of this communication”.

The notice comes after Adani Enterprises Ltd filed a defamation case against journalist Guha Thakurta and others.

On September 6, the court directed the removal of the allegedly defamatory content within five days.

The material in question includes YouTube video transcripts, screenshots of posts on X, and images of journalists’ profiles.

Since the publishers did not act within the given timeline, the ministry has now stepped in.

The notice instructs them to remove the content and provide proof of compliance within 36 hours. A copy of the order has also been sent to Google and Meta.

Meanwhile, earlier this month, a Delhi court gave an interim order in favour of Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL) in its defamation case against some journalists, activists, and organisations.

The company has accused them of publishing content that, it claims, supports “anti-India interests.” In its suit, AEL claimed that the defendants, by aligning with anti-India interests, were continuously targeting its infrastructure and energy projects, which are critical to the country’s infrastructure and energy security.

The Rohini court further directed the defendants to expunge the defamatory material from their respective articles or social media posts, failing which the intermediaries (such as Google, YouTube, X.com, etc.) have been ordered to remove the defamatory content.

IANS