Gujarat Court Convicts Journalist Ravi Nair for Criminal Defamation over Adani Tweets

A Gujarat court has convicted journalist Ravi Nair in a criminal defamation case filed by Adani Enterprises and sentenced him to one year’s simple imprisonment and a ₹5,000 fine.

The Court held that Nair’s tweets and online articles alleging corruption and cronyism went beyond fair criticism and amounted to unverified defamatory statements presented as facts.

Rejecting his free speech defence, the Court observed that freedom of expression does not protect unsubstantiated allegations that harm reputation, particularly when made by a journalist.

[Adani Enterprises Ltd. v. Ravi Nair]