New Delhi, 24 September (H.S.): Journalist Ravi Nair has approached the Supreme Court seeking release from custody in a criminal defamation case filed by Adani Enterprises, after he was taken into judicial custody pursuant to a non-bailable warrant issued by a Gujarat court. Nair has challenged the Gujarat High Court’s refusal to grant him interim relief.

Nair was sent to judicial custody on September 17 following an order of the Gandhinagar District and Sessions Court. He approached the Supreme Court after the Gujarat High Court, on September 23, declined to grant him interim relief while reserving its order on his petition challenging the non-bailable warrant. Justice M.K. Thakker is scheduled to pronounce the High Court’s order on September 30.

The developments relate to Nair’s appeal against his conviction in the criminal defamation case. In February, a Judicial Magistrate First Class court in Mansa convicted him following a complaint filed by Adani Enterprises. Nair subsequently challenged the conviction before the Sessions Court, which suspended his sentence and granted him bail during the pendency of his appeal, subject to conditions including his appearance before the court.

A dispute subsequently arose over Nair’s personal appearance before the appellate court. After he did not appear at the September 3 hearing, the Sessions Court rejected his application seeking exemption from personal appearance and issued a non-bailable warrant. Nair appeared before the court on September 17 and sought cancellation of the warrant, but the court rejected his plea and ordered that he be taken into judicial custody.

Nair then approached the Gujarat High Court, challenging the non-bailable warrant and his subsequent detention and seeking immediate release. On September 23, Justice M.K. Thakker heard the matter and reserved the order after the hearing concluded. The court declined interim relief, observing that the matter had already been fully heard and had been kept for the final order.

The case originated from a criminal defamation complaint filed by Adani Enterprises in 2021. The company alleged that Nair had published and circulated social media posts and articles between 2020 and 2021 that contained defamatory allegations against the Adani Group and damaged its reputation. The magistrate’s court convicted Nair in February, and his appeal against the conviction remains pending.

Nair had also approached the Supreme Court earlier this year. On September 9, a Supreme Court bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta allowed him to withdraw a separate Special Leave Petition, with liberty to raise his grievances before the appropriate forum at the appropriate stage.

Nair has now filed a fresh Special Leave Petition before the Supreme Court challenging the Gujarat High Court’s refusal to grant him interim relief and seeking his release from custody in connection with the defamation proceedings. His counsel, Abhik Chimni, mentioned the matter before the Chief Justice of India on September 24 seeking urgent listing, but the matter was not taken up at that stage.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar