The Principal District and Sessions Judge of Rohini Courts, Delhi, on September 23, 2025 refused to transfer the appeals filed by journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and digital news platform Newslaundry against the ex-parte gag order restraining reporting on Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL) to the judge who had previously quashed the order for four other journalists.
The case arose from a defamation suit filed by Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL) against journalists and platforms, including Newslaundry and Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, alleging that their publications harmed the company’s reputation and caused financial losses. AEL cited articles on paranjoy.in, adaniwatch.org, and adanifiles.com.au as allegedly defamatory. On September 6, Senior Civil Judge Anuj Kumar Singh of Rohini Court passed a gag order directing the removal of the content and restraining the appellants from publishing unverified or defamatory information. The injunction also extended to John Doe (unknown) defendants, prompting Newslaundry, Thakurta, and others to appeal. An earlier appeal by journalists Ravi Nair, Abir Dasgupta, Ayaskant Das, and Ayush Joshi was allowed by Judge Ashish Aggarwal on September 18. Following this, Newslaundry and Thakurta’s plea came before District Judge Sunil Chaudhary, who initially suggested Judge Aggarwal hear the cases. However, the Principal District and Sessions Judge decided the matter should remain with Judge Chaudhary, who will hear it on September 24, 2025.