Calcutta High Court blocks streaming of video on Modi-Adani ties after Adani files for defamation

The Calcutta High Court recently ordered a ban on streaming the video titled "The Friendship Files| How Modi and Adani Stole India" after Adani Enterprises filed a defamation suit [Adani Enterprises Limited VS Sabeer Bhatia and Ors.].

Justice Aryak Dutt said that the injunction will remain in force till January 31, 2027, when the case will be heard next.

The Court said that the video, made by Indian-American businessman Sabeer Bhatia in collaboration with another channel called "Shadow Citizens", is not a news report.

Justice Dutt observed that the imputations that the Adani Group is complicit in, or has been shielded from accountability for, narcotics smuggling linked to terror funding or police violence against a farmer are not substantiated by any authority.

It noted that the original video was already disabled, but Bhatia uploaded it again. It prima facie shows want of good faith, the Court added.

"Constructive criticism or truthful reporting on the petitioner or on Government policy, backed by evidence, is not barred. Online content spreads quickly through reposts and re-uploads, and the injury to reputation from continued republication cannot be adequately compensated in money. If the order is not passed now, its purpose will be defeated by further dissemination before the respondents [Bhatia and others] can be heard," the Court said.

It clarified that its order does not restrict "constructive criticism or fair reporting" on the Adani Group or any government policy.

The Court passed the order after Adani Enterprises filed a defamation suit against Bhatia and others over a 36-minute video that was uploaded on October 9, 2026. The video was uploaded on Bhatia's YouTube channel in collaboration with another channel called "Shadow Citizens". It was also posted on X.

The video garnered over 80,000 views on YouTube and X combined on October 9.

In its suit, Adani Enterprises prayed for a bar on the circulation of the video by Bhatia and other YouTube channels. The company also sought an injunction against accounts on Meta and X.

Notably, the video was already ordered to be taken down by the government after a complaint alleged that it lacked due diligence and spread defamatory content.

However, it continued to be circulated and reposted across various social media platforms.

Adani Enterprises argued that all allegations made in the video were false and that the video omitted several facts before creating a narrative targeted against them. It also emphasised that their reputation, which was guaranteed as a constitutional right to life under Article 21, was severely damaged.

The company also said that it had no intention to thwart genuine constructive criticism of governmental policy and that its action was directed towards Bhatia and other YouTube channels and social media sites.

After considering the case, the Court ordered a bar on sharing and publishing the video. It further ordered its removal from all sites.

It further observed that the documentary is dramatized narrative titled with an imputation that insinuates theft, "and whose narration and visuals are represented as factual."

Anirban Ray, Senior Advocate with advocates Sanjay Basu, Amit Kumar Nag, Piyush Agarwal, Shivangi Thard, Ranjabati Ray, Shrivalli Kajaria, and Debojyoti Das represented Adani Enterprises.

Advocate Pragya Jain appeared for Google.