The leftist portals in India have been crying and whining since the news broke that the GoI was implementing the ex-parte court order on Adani defamation case.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s recent directive to remove defamatory content targeting Adani Enterprises is simply the government acting as an administrative arm of the court.

Following the 6 September 2025 ex-parte interim injunction from the Rohini Court, media houses, journalists, and creators, including News Minute, Newslaundry, and others were legally bound to comply.

These left-leaning outlets tried to spin the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s takedown notices as “government overreach” or “pre-empting the judicial process.” Dhanya Rajendran and colleagues claimed that the Ministry was silencing journalists critical of Adani. Yet, a simple look at the facts exposes this as disingenuous posturing.

The MIB is not inventing law; it is enforcing a legitimate judicial order. Yet, left-leaning outlets and ‘journalists’ have turned this into a spectacle, claiming censorship and “preempting justice.”

Look at their reportage:

Here’s some whining too.

Govt orders takedown of 138 YouTube videos, 83 Instagram posts on Adani using court order. This includes 41 videos by ⁦@newslaundry⁩. Even a video where ⁦@kunalkamra88⁩ talks about satire https://t.co/WdQBthQpiF

— Dhanya Rajendran (@dhanyarajendran) September 16, 2025

This is disingenuous. The court found prima facie that unverified content was damaging the reputation of a company critical to India’s infrastructure, energy projects, and international investment confidence. Ignoring court orders and calling for “free speech” while disseminating potentially defamatory material is a blatant abuse of privilege.

The reality is straightforward. On 6 September 2025, the Delhi Rohini Court issued an ex parte interim injunction in Adani Enterprises Ltd vs Paranjoy Guha Thakurta & Ors., directing the removal of “incorrect, unverified, and prima facie defamatory” material. The court gave the publishers five days to comply. When they failed to act, the Ministry issued notices on 16 September 2025 to enforce the order.

This is not political interference; it is mandatory execution of a judicial directive. The Ministry’s action ensures compliance with the law, not suppression of legitimate reporting. Leftist commentators conveniently ignore that the court explicitly distinguished between defamatory content and fair, substantiated reporting, which remains fully protected.

Adani Enterprises had demonstrated before the court that repeated false reporting had caused billions in investor losses, project delays, and reputational harm, and that some defendants were aligned with anti-India interests disrupting key infrastructure and energy projects. The judiciary found a prima facie case and acted accordingly.

This is also not the first time Adani has been targeted by these so-called journalists; since 2017, there have been multiple defamation suits filed against baseless claims. Yet, News Minute and their allies continue to portray themselves as martyrs, ignoring the harm their content inflicts on investors, employees, and national economic interests.

Let’s be clear: court orders are not suggestions, and the rule of law cannot be held hostage to performative outrage. Complaining that the government is “preempting justice” while actively flouting a judicial order is hypocrisy. Those who refuse to distinguish between fair reporting and defamatory attacks cannot credibly claim moral high ground. The implementation of this court order is law, not political vendetta, and anyone who continues to frame it otherwise is willfully misleading the public.

Compliance is simple: remove unverified, defamatory content, continue fair reporting, and stop crying foul. Democracy thrives not on sensationalism but on accountability. Those unwilling to accept this simple principle should reconsider whether they are journalists or just self-styled agitators.

It is important to note that ex parte takedown orders are neither unprecedented nor partisan. Court once also restrained India Today from publishing defamatory content – In July 2024, the Delhi High Court granted an ad-interim injunction pertaining to defamatory posts against an acquitted businessman, directing removal of defamatory content from platforms including those associated with India Today Group. The court recognized the “right to be forgotten” and privacy rights, ordering the removal or masking of defamatory posts or judgments to protect the individual’s dignity from perpetual stigma. This demonstrates that the legal mechanism being used in the Adani case is standard judicial procedure, not a politically motivated attack on the media.

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