Supreme Court Extends Interim Protection Granted To Four Journalists From Gujarat Police Coercive Action Over Article Against Adani Group

The Supreme Court on Friday (01.12.2023) extended the interim protection granted to four journalists from coercive action by the Gujarat Police in relation to articles published against the Adani group. The Court also granted the State of Gujarat a week to file its response. 

On November 3rd, a bench of Justice BR Gavai and Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra had granted journalists Ravi Nair and Anand Mangnale interim protection from arrest by the Gujarat Police. They had been summoned based on a complaint against an article published in the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) website on the Adani-Hindenburg row. On November 10th, in a similar matter, the same bench also granted interim protection to two journalists from Financial Times (FT), Benjamin Nicholas Brooke Parkin and Chloe Nina Cornish who had been summoned by the Gujarat Police for an article published in August. 

Today the matter came up before a bench of Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice Sanjay Karol. Sr Anand Grover appearing for the OCCRP journalists told the court that since notice was issued by a bench led by Justice Gavai, the matter should be heard by the same bench as per the Supreme Court Rules. 

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the State of Gujarat responded by saying 'I don't want to choose any bench. I am before the Supreme Court of India'.

The matter has been posted after 1 week.  Sr. Adv. Siddharth Agarwal appeared for the FT correspondents.

Journalist Ravi Nair and OCCRP editor Anand Mangnale had come under the Gujarat police's scanner for a critical article they co-authored along with NBR Arcadio entitled 'Documents Provide Fresh Insight Into Allegations of Stock Manipulation That Rocked India's Powerful Adani Group'. This article was published on the website of OCCRP. In October, Nair and Mangnale received notices from Ahmedabad's crime branch directing them to appear in person in connection with a preliminary inquiry being conducted on the strength of an application by an investor, Yogeshbhai Mafatlal Bhansali.

The other plea has been filed by FT's Delhi Correspondent Benjamin Nicholas Brooke Parkin and its Mumbai Correspondent, Chloe Nina Cornish, who were summoned by the Gujarat Police for a preliminary enquiry on a complaint filed by an investor in Adani group companies for an article published by the Financial Times titled 'Secret Paper Trail Reveals Hidden Adani Investors'. However, the petitioners were not the ones who wrote the said report.

While granting interim protection to the FT correspondents, the bench of Justices BR Gavai and Prashant Kumar Mishra had also asked them to cooperate with the investigation.

Case Title: Ravi Nair v. State of Gujarat & Anr. | Writ Petition (Criminal) No. 527 of 2023 and connected cases