Supreme Court Declines to Intervene in Journalist's Case Against Gujarat Crime Branch

Supreme Court's Decision on Journalist's Petition

On Monday, the Supreme Court opted not to get involved in a case brought by journalist Ravi Nair regarding a notice from the Gujarat Crime Branch related to an article he co-wrote about Adani Ports and SEZ Limited, as reported by a legal news outlet.

A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta advised Nair to approach the Gujarat High Court instead and permitted him to withdraw his petition.

Nair's petition was in response to a notice from the Gujarat Crime Branch dated February 12, linked to an article published in October 2025 in a prominent international newspaper titled “India’s $3.9 billion plan to help Modi’s mogul ally after US charges.”

This article was co-authored by Nair and Pranshu Verma, who previously served as the New Delhi bureau chief for the same newspaper.

The notice summoned Nair to the Gujarat Crime Branch office on February 19 for an initial inquiry regarding the article and one of his social media posts.

In his legal challenge, Nair argued that the article disclosed how Indian officials facilitated a proposal in May 2025 to allocate approximately $3.9 billion in investments to Adani Group companies from the Life Insurance Corporation of India, a state-owned entity focused on providing life insurance to economically disadvantaged families.

Nair claimed that the notice from the Gujarat Crime Branch aimed to criminalize his journalistic efforts, which were conducted in good faith and in the public interest. He asserted that the actions of the crime branch infringed upon his constitutional rights, including equality, freedom of expression, and the right to life and liberty.

The petition further alleged that state authorities were unlawfully conducting a broad inquiry against him without proper jurisdiction.

During the Supreme Court proceedings, Nair's attorney highlighted that industrialist Gautam Adani's group had initiated three legal actions against the journalist, indicating ongoing harassment.

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited is part of the Adani Group.

However, the bench questioned why the petition was filed under Article 32 instead of being directed to the appropriate High Court. In response, Nair's lawyer stated that it pertains to a fundamental right.

Article 32 allows individuals to directly approach the Supreme Court for the enforcement of their fundamental rights.

Previous Legal Issues

On February 13, Nair was granted bail in another criminal defamation case initiated by Adani Enterprises Limited concerning a series of posts on the social media platform X.

A magisterial court in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, also suspended his one-year prison sentence for a month.

The court had convicted Nair on February 10, sentencing him to one year in prison and imposing a fine of Rs 5,000.

This case stemmed from a series of social media posts made by Nair between October 2020 and July 2021 regarding the Adani Group, including allegations from a U.S. short seller and protests against the proposed privatization of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust.

The complaint was lodged by Adani Enterprises, the flagship company of the Adani Group, claiming that Nair's posts contained false and defamatory statements aimed at harming its reputation.