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Journalist Ravi Nair sent to jail after court refuses to cancel warrant in Adani defamation appeal

17 Sept 2026 · 4 outlets · 1 min read

AI illustration
In 30 seconds
  1. Nair was convicted of criminal defamation in February 2026 and given one year's simple imprisonment.
  2. His bail in the appeal required him to attend hearings; the court issued a warrant when he did not.
  3. RSF called for his release and for a law against lawsuits meant to silence critics.

On 17 September 2026, a Gandhinagar sessions court sent investigative journalist Ravi Nair to judicial custody after rejecting his plea to cancel a non-bailable warrant. The warrant was issued on 3 September after the court refused to excuse him, on medical grounds, from appearing in person in his appeal against a February 2026 defamation conviction. Adani Enterprises filed the case in 2021 over posts on X about the company. Reporters Without Borders called the case an attempt to silence him.

Checked

Claim by claim

⇄Disputed

Nair's posts contained false and defamatory statements meant to damage Adani Enterprises' reputation.

Said by Adani Enterprises

A Mansa magistrate accepted this and convicted Nair in February 2026. Nair has appealed, so the finding is not final.

News18 (PTI) · LiveLaw
⇄Disputed

The case is a SLAPP meant to silence independent journalism.

Said by Reporters Without Borders

This is RSF's view, based on the three defamation cases Nair faces. Adani Enterprises says the posts were not fair comment, and a trial court agreed.

Reporters Without Borders · News18 (PTI)
In their own words

What each side says

Adani Enterprises

The company argued at trial that the posts were not fair comment or legitimate criticism but were designed to undermine its credibility with the public and investors.

News18 (PTI) · Hindustan Times
Ravi Nair and RSF

RSF says the posts shared press articles, four of Nair's own investigations and information already public, and that jailing him while his appeal is pending sets a troubling precedent for press freedom.

Reporters Without Borders
As it unfolded

Step by step

  1. Sessions court rejects his request to skip a hearing and issues a non-bailable warrant.

  2. Nair appears in court; his plea to cancel the warrant is rejected and he is sent to jail.

  3. Nair challenges the warrant and his detention in the Gujarat High Court.

Honest gaps

Not yet known

  • ?Whether Nair's medical reason for missing the 3 September hearing was supported by records; reports do not say.
Who reported this

Sources

Centre · 3Right-leaning · 1

4 outlets across the spectrum. Leanings are a rough guide to who reported it, not a verdict on accuracy.

  1. Reporters Without BordersIndia: investigative journalist Ravi Nair denied interim release, faces legal harassment over Adani Group investigations
  2. Hindustan TimesGandhinagar court grants bail to journalist Ravi Nair in Adani defamation case
  3. News18 (PTI)Journalist Ravi Nair Convicted In Adani Defamation Case
  4. LiveLawAdani Defamation Case: Gujarat High Court Judge Recuses From Hearing Journalist Ravi Nair's Plea To Produce Additional Evidence

Spasht writes original summaries. Follow the links to read each outlet's own report. Revision 1.

Journalist Ravi Nair sent to jail after court refuses to cancel warrant in Adani defamation appeal | Spasht