Journalist Ravi Nair convicted in AEL criminal defamation case
Gandhinagar: A court in Gandhinagar has convicted journalist Ravi Nair in a criminal defamation case filed by the Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL) and sentenced him to a year’s imprisonment and a fine.
The case followed from a complaint filed by the Adani Group’s flagship company, alleging that Ravi Nair had published and disseminated a series of tweets containing false and defamatory statements intended to damage the reputation of the AEL and the Adani Group.
The AEL argued that the impugned tweets did not amount to fair comment or legitimate criticism, but were designed to undermine the credibility of the company in the eyes of the public and investors.
After a full-fledged trial, the Mansa Magistrate’s court held that the AEL had successfully established its case and found Nair guilty of criminal defamation. The court convicted Nair and imposed a sentence of one year’s imprisonment along with a fine.
The judgment reaffirms the importance of accountability in public discourse.
A senior lawyer said that the right to free speech cannot override the equally protected right to reputation under Article 21 of the Constitution.
He highlighted that defamation is a well-recognised restriction under Article 19(2), citing Subramanian Swamy v. Union of India (2016), which affirmed reputation as a fundamental right. He maintained that repeated, unverified allegations amounted to a “trial by media,” which courts have consistently warned against.
He also cited the Supreme Court’s decision to order an investigation into Hindenburg Research, which admitted to short-selling Adani stocks. This background showed the damage caused by false claims, he added.