Journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta delivers a lecture in Vijayawada. File

| Photo Credit: The Hindu

A Delhi court on Wednesday (September 24, 2025) reserved an order on the appeal filed by journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta against an ex-parte gag order restraining reporting on Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL).The court also issued notice to AEL on the plea filed by digital news platform Newslaundry on the same issue.A city court, on September 6, had passed an ex-parte injunction in a defamation case filed by AEL restraining Mr. Thakurta, Ravi Nair, Abir Dasgupta, Ayaskant Das, and Ayush Joshi, from publishing “allegedly defamatory” material about the company. The journalists challenged the order and the matter is currently being heard by two different courts — one by District Judge Sunil Chaudhary and the other by Judge Ashish Aggarwal.While Mr. Aggarwal on September 18 set aside the gag order for journalists Ravi Nair, Abir Dasgupta, Ayaskant Das, and Ayush Joshi, Mr. Chaudhary declined the plea for an urgent hearing filed by Mr. Thakurta and Newslaundry. On September 22, Mr. Chaudhary said it would be appropriate if the case was heard by Mr. Aggarwal since the latter had already dealt with and passed orders in the case, while the same was declined by principal district and sessions judge Gurvinder Pal Singh on September 23.The matter was again heard by Mr. Chaudhary on Wednesday (September 24, 2025).The advocate representing AEL submitted in the court that even Judge Aggarwal had set aside the order of the lower court. “The other court cant impose its views on your lordships,” AEL said.The counsel for Mr. Thakurta claimed that if they get immediate relief, his client will be able to get the articles restored which were deleted on the orders of the lower court.Thereafter, the court reserved its verdict.In case of Newslaundry’s plea, Mr. Chaudhary noted that the news portal was not an aggrieved party since it was not one of the defendants named by AEL in its suit before the civil court. The organisation added that if the intermediaries hosting their videos are asked to take down the same due to the gag order passed by the civil court, the media platform can challenge the same separately.The matter will be heard next on October 15 after the court issued a notice to AEL on their appeal. Published - September 24, 2025 10:30 pm IST