Editors Guild, DIGIPUB say case against Thakurta by Adani Group aimed at intimidating media

With a Gujarat court issuing an arrest warrant against journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta in a case filed by Adani group for a news report, the Editors Guild of India on Thursday condemned the "use of intimidatory tactics by powerful corporate houses" against media persons and said it showed how "intolerant" the business houses have become to any criticism.

The DIGIPUB News India Foundation, a group of digital news media, freelance journalists and commentators, also found fault with the Adani Group and asked it to desist from such "intimidation" of a journalist who was doing his job.

A court in Kutch issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Thakurta for an article he had co-authored against the Adani group in 2017.

In a statement, the Editors Guild "strongly" urged the Adani group to withdraw the criminal case against Thakurta and asked the higher judiciary to take cognizance of the fact that laws such as a criminal defamation are often used to impede freedom of speech.

It wanted the higher judiciary to issue guidelines to ensure that wanton use of such laws does not serve as a deterrent to a free press.

The Editors Guild said it "strongly condemns the use of intimidatory tactics by powerful corporate houses against journalists to prevent media scrutiny" and it was "another example of how intolerant the business houses have become to any criticism".

"Routinely they have targeted independent and intrepid journalists by using the very instruments that provide media the necessary protection. At the same time, the Editors Guild is disturbed on how the judiciary in this case has become a part of this exercise to muzzle free press," it said in a statement.

Criminal defamation laws are often used by those in power to suppress any scrutiny by the media, and this case is a prime example of how such laws can be misused against the cause of free and independent media, it added.

The DIGIPUB said the Adani Group had initiated civil and criminal defamation against the writers and The Wire in 2017 and it had pursued the matter against Thakurta "relentlessly".

"The article is a piece of journalism and cases being filed against Thakurta for it undermines the right to freedom of expression that's guaranteed to journalists... any attempt to suppress or punish critical journalism by governments or corporations is detrimental to not only the freedom of the press but also the very idea of democratic accountability," it said.

Seeking withdrawal of the case, the DIGIPUB said the need of the hour is to strengthen, not attack press freedoms at a time when democratic values are facing challenges across the world.