The Gujarat High Court has rejected an interim relief request by journalist Ravi Nair, who is seeking release from judicial custody in a criminal defamation case filed by Adani Enterprises. The journalist was arrested on September 17 and sent to jail after a Gandhinagar court issued a non-bailable warrant against him.
On Wednesday, the Gujarat High Court refused to grant interim relief to journalist Ravi Nair, who is seeking release from judicial custody in a criminal defamation case filed by Adani Enterprises Limited over a series of posts on social media platform X. Nair was taken into custody on September 17 and sent to jail on the orders of a Gandhinagar court, which had issued a non-bailable warrant against him earlier this month for failing to appear in person for a hearing in the defamation case.
The journalist had challenged the warrant and sought his release. The case pertains to a series of social media posts published by Nair between October 2020 and July 2021 about the Adani Group relating to allegations by United States-based short seller Hindenburg Research and a strike against the proposed privatisation of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust.
On February 10, a magistrate court in Gandhinagar convicted Nair and sentenced him to one year in prison. The magistrate had said that Nair, as a journalist and public commentator, was expected to be conscious of the reach and impact of statements made on digital platforms, particularly when making categorical allegations that could affect reputations.
Nair challenged his conviction before an appellate court in Gandhinagar, which granted him bail on March 9 and directed him to remain present during the hearing of his appeal. He was not present at a hearing on September 3, his lawyer had said. The court subsequently issued a non-bailable warrant against him.
On Wednesday, the High Court observed that Nair could not challenge the non-bailable warrant after it had already been executed. The court also criticised him for not informing it that he had separately approached the sessions court for regular bail.
Source:
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