RSF - Reporters sans frontières

09/24/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/25/2026 06:23

India: investigative journalist Ravi Nair denied interim release faces legal harassment over Adani Group investigations

On 23 September, investigative journalist Ravi Nair was denied interim release. He has been held in judicial custody at Sabarmati Central Jail in the state of Gujarat since 17 September in connection with a criminal defamation case brought by Adani Enterprises Limited. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warns that the investigative journalist is being legally harassed, as he faces multiple proceedings linked to his investigations into the Indian conglomerate headed by billionaire Gautam Adani.

Update: A Gandhinagar court has granted bail to Ravi Nair on September 24 in the defamation case filed by Adani Enterprises Limited.

In India, investigating the Adani Group can land journalists in jail. For independent investigative reporter Ravi Nair, the current situation is the culmination of a case dating back to September 2021, when Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL) initiated criminal defamation proceedings against him over a series of 17 posts published on X between October 2020 and July 2021. The posts notably shared press articles from outlets including independent media organisations NewsClick, The Guardian and Newsfirst, as well as four of Nair's own investigations and information that was already public.

On 10 February 2026, the Judicial Magistrate First Class court in Mansa convicted him of criminal defamation and sentenced him to one year's imprisonment. Ravi Nair appealed his conviction before the Gandhinagar District and Sessions Court and, on 9 March, obtained a suspension of his sentence and was released on bail. At a hearing on 3 September - for which Ravi Nair had requested an exemption from attending in person due to medical reasons - the judge rejected his application for exemption and issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against him.

On 17 September, Ravi Nair appeared in person before the court, which rejected his application for cancelling the non-bailable warrant and remanded him to judicial custody. On 19 September, the journalist moved the Gujarat High Court to challenge the warrant, his arrest and his detention. On Wednesday, 23 September, the Gujarat High Court reserved its decision on his petition and declined to grant him interim release. The court is due to pronounce its decision on 30 September 2026 on his challenge to the non-bailable warrant.

"Ravi Nair's arrest while his appeal against a criminal defamation conviction is still pending is a shocking illustration of how the law can be weaponised by powerful private interests to silence independent journalism. Imprisoning an investigative journalist for scrutinising a conglomerate such as the Adani Group on matters of public interest sets a deeply troubling precedent for press freedom in India. RSF calls on the judicial authorities to immediately release the journalist, who is the target of SLAPP proceedings. The Indian government must adopt anti-SLAPP legislation with safeguards strong enough to prevent defamation laws from being misused before the courts and resulting in disproportionately severe penalties. Journalists investigating matters of public interest must be protected, not criminalised.

Célia Mercier
Head of the RSF South Asia Desk

A 52-year-old independent investigative journalist, Ravi Nair has conducted numerous investigations into the Adani Group's business practices and political connections. Much of his investigative reporting on the group has been published on the investigative website platform Adani Watch. His articles have also appeared in outlets including HuffPost, The Leaflet, Frontline and The Caravan.

Affiliated with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), Ravi Nair contributed to an August 2023 investigation published by the Financial Times and The Guardian, which revealed that two secret investors in the Adani Group had close ties to the Adani family, raising questions about possible breaches of Indian law.

More recently, in October 2025, Ravi Nair co-authored a Washington Post investigation alleging that Indian officials had drafted a proposal to direct approximately USD 3.9 billion in investments by the state-owned Life Insurance Corporation of India towards Adani Group companies.

Ravi Nair is currently facing a total of three defamation proceedings related to his reporting and social media posts concerning the Adani Group. These cases form part of a broader legal offensive by the Adani Group, documented by RSF, targeting media outlets and journalists investigating the conglomerate.

Published on 24.09.2026
RSF - Reporters sans frontières published this content on September 24, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on September 25, 2026 at 12:23 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]