New Delhi: Court keeps appeals with Judge Chaudhary
New Delhi, Sept 23: A Delhi court has refused to transfer the appeals filed by Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and Newslaundry against the injunction order obtained by Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL). The appellants had sought that their cases be heard by Judge Ashish Aggarwal, who recently lifted the gag order for four other journalists. Instead, the court ruled that their appeals will continue before District Judge Sunil Chaudhary.
The decision comes in the context of a September 6 injunction, which had restrained multiple journalists and media platforms from publishing allegedly defamatory content about AEL.
Background of the gag order
The injunction was issued after AEL alleged that articles and reports hosted on platforms such as paranjoy.in, newslaundry.com, adaniwatch.org and adanifiles.com.au had damaged its reputation, investor confidence, and India’s global image.
On September 18, Judge Ashish Aggarwal lifted the gag order for four journalists—Ravi Nair, Abir Dasgupta, Ayaskant Das, and Ayush Joshi—noting that the content was already in the public domain and that they were not heard before the order was passed.
Court’s reasoning on the transfer refusal
Principal District and Sessions Judge Gurvinder Pal Singh declined to transfer the appeals of Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and Newslaundry to Judge Aggarwal. The court pointed out that:
- Arguments had already begun before Judge Chaudhary.
- Neither Paranjoy nor Newslaundry objected earlier to his court hearing the matter.
- Transferring mid-way could lead to redundancy and inconsistency in proceedings.
As a result, the appeals remain in the court of Judge Sunil Chaudhary.
What happens next
The appeals filed by Paranjoy and Newslaundry will now be heard on September 24. Their lawyers are expected to argue that the gag order is disproportionate, unconstitutional, and undermines press freedom, since much of the contested content is already publicly available.
Significance for press freedom
The outcome of these appeals will be closely watched, as the gag order has raised larger questions about judicial overreach, corporate defamation suits, and the right of journalists to report on matters of public interest. Media rights activists have expressed concern that such injunctions can have a chilling effect on free speech.
Conclusion
While four journalists have already secured relief, Newslaundry and Paranjoy Guha Thakurta’s battle continues before Judge Chaudhary. The September 24 hearing will decide whether the gag order against them stands or is lifted, with wider implications for media reporting on corporate power.