Indian journalist Ravi Nair sentenced to 1 year in Adani defamation case

New Delhi, February 11, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned about the sentencing of investigative journalist Ravi Nair to one year’s imprisonment over social media posts critical of the Adani Group and calls on the Indian government to establish safeguards to protect journalists from being jailed for defamation.

“The conviction of journalist Ravi Nair for criminal defamation sets a dangerous precedent for press freedom and free speech in India,” said CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Kunal Majumder. “Laws that allow imprisonment for defamation stifle public interest reporting and deter scrutiny of powerful actors. The Indian government must ensure these provisions are not used to prevent legitimate journalism.”

On February 10, a magistrate court in the western state of Gujarat convicted Nair and sentenced him to jail and a fine of 5,000 rupees (US$55) for his posts between October 2020 and July 2021 on the X platform and articles on the Australian nonprofit Adani Watch investigative site, according to a copy of the judgment, reviewed by CPJ.

Nair frequently uses social media to comment on the Adani Group, owned by billionaire Gautam Adani. The conglomerate has come under sustained scrutiny over allegations of financial irregularities, which it has denied.

Nair’s posts cited or linked to reports by established publications, including The Times of India and Bloomberg, sometimes accompanied by commentary questioning Indian government policies and the Adani Group’s environmental compliance and alleged monopolistic practices.

The case against Nair was initiated by Adani Enterprises Limited, the group’s flagship firm.

On February 10, the court concluded that the journalist’s comments and publications were defamatory and made with knowledge of their likely impact on the company’s reputation.

Under Indian criminal defamation law, cases are usually initiated through a private complaint before a court, and police cannot investigate without a court’s permission.

Nair’s conviction comes amid wider concerns about repeated civil and criminal complaints by the Adani Group about media reports on the conglomerate’s business activities.

In September, Nair was among 10 defendants — including independent journalists Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Abir Dasgupta, Ayaskanta Das, and Ayush Joshi — barred from publishing allegedly defamatory content about the Adani Group.

Nair has 30 days to challenge his conviction, his lawyer Vedant Rajguru told CPJ. 

CPJ’s email to request comment from Adani Enterprises did not immediately receive a response.