Relief to journos: Court sets aside Adani content takedown order

NEW DELHI: A Delhi district court on Thursday set aside an order asking four journalists to take down alleged defamatory content against Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL).

District Judge Ashish Aggarwal allowed a plea filed by four journalists - Ravi Nair, Abir Dasgupta, Ayaskanta Das and Ayush Joshi - challenging an order restraining them from publishing or circulating alleged unverified and defamatory content against Adani Enterprises Limited. The court was hearing the appeal filed by the four journalists against a civil judge's September 6 order.

Acting on AEL's defamation, the civil judge directed 10 defendants, including the four journalists, to take down the contentious material already published on various platforms, including websites, articles and social media posts, within a stipulated period.

The district court, however, observed the civil judge should have provided an opportunity to the defendants before passing the order, pointing out that the provisions of the Civil Procedure Code (CPC) weren't kept in mind.