Justice for Ravi Nair!

  • August 27, 2026
  • Posted by: kevbha
  • Category: News
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We, the undersigned groups, condemn the shrinking space for freedom of expression and press freedom in India. We stand in total solidarity with independent investigative journalist Ravi Nair who is currently facing relentless harassment and attacks from the Adani Group.  

On February 11, 2026, Nair was sentenced to a year’s imprisonment for his posts on X that allegedly suggest the “political patronage”, “financial irregularities” and “unethical conduct” of Adani Enterprises, the flagship firm of the Adani Group. Nair’s lawyer argued that the posts and comments were based on publicly available material and constitute fair comment and criticism.

CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Kunal Majumder noted, “the conviction of journalist Ravi Nair for criminal defamation sets a dangerous precedent for press freedom and free speech in India. Laws that allow imprisonment for defamation stifle public interest reporting and deter scrutiny of powerful actors. The Indian government must ensure these provisions are not used to prevent legitimate journalism.” 

With this case pending appeal, the Adani Group, acting through the Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd. has brought another case against Nair. This time it centres round his social media posts about an article he co-wrote in the Washington Post alleging that the Government of India directed the Life Insurance Corporation, an Indian publicly funded organisation, to invest in the Adani group. An Ahmedabad Court quashed Nair’s appeal against the FIR (First Information Report). This was followed by a raid on Nair’s home by Gujarat Police, accompanied by their Delhi counterparts. They seized two of his phones, his son’s laptop, and the laptop and iPad of a colleague who happened to be at the house and who is not an accused in the case. The police refused to provide a hash value for the items taken away. Without a hash value, it is impossible to know whether a device has been tampered with after seizure.

Clearly journalism is a crime in today’s India, with free speech and freedom of expression increasingly under attack since 2014. India’s ranking in the World Press Freedom Index has steadily worsened, with a rank of 140 out of 180 countries in 2013 down to 157 in 2026. 

A number of draconian laws are being employed to thwart fundamental freedoms. Additionally, street vigilantes have been emboldened to carry out attacks on journalists reporting on and exposing Hindu supremacist fascism (Hindutva) or reporting on corporate crimes. 

The harassment of Ravi Nair is occurring against a background of challenges to legitimate reporting and commentary about the Adani Group. In September 2025, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, used a court order to remove a couple of hundred Youtube videos and instagram posts about the Group (Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)).

According to the Free Speech Collective’s latest findings, India saw over 300 violations of free speech in the first quarter of 2025, from murdered journalists to banned films.

The restriction on free speech comes from a government whose ministers and other elected officials spew hate speech in the public sphere with impunity.

In the fascist corporate-aligned state that India is today, journalists like Ravi Nair are being punished for reporting injustices and speaking truth to power. 

We call upon the Indian diaspora across the globe, civil society and workers’ organizations, journalists, activists and all conscientious people to stand against state repression and the impunity of corporate billionaires like Adani.

We demand an immediate end to the harassment of Ravi Nair by the Courts and police and the withdrawal of cases against him. We also demand an end to the misuse of criminal defamation and draconian laws to silence journalists and activists; the protection of press freedom and free speech; and  accountability and transparency in matters involving corporate-state relations.

Justice for Ravi Nair! Journalism is not a crime!

Signatories

  1. South Asia Solidarity Group, Britain
  2. International Solidarity for Academic Freedom in India (InSAF India)
  3. India Labour Solidarity, GB
  4. Diaspora in Action for Human Rights and Democracy, The Netherlands 
  5. United Kingdom-Indian Muslim Council (UK-IMC)
  6. Hindus for Human Rights UK
  7. 12ummah.com
  8. Justice For All Canada
  9. Hindus for Human Rights USA
  10. The Humanism Project Australia
  11. South Asian Diaspora Action Collective (SADAC), Canada
  12. Culture Unstained, UK
  13. The Canary, UK
  14. Indian Alliance Paris
  15. Hindus for Human Rights ANZ
  16. Fossil Free Science Museum, UK
  17. Indus Legacy
  18. Extinction Rebellion Global
  19. Boston South Asian Coalition
  20. CERAS (Centre sur l’asie du sud), Canada
  21. Canadian Forum for Human Rights and Democracy in India (CFHRDI)
  22. London Mining Network, UK
  23. Turbine Bagh, GB 
  24. Prof Saibaba Study Circle, GB 
  25. Canadian Foreign Policy Institute
  26. Just Peace Advocates/Mouvement Pour Une Paix Juste, Canada
  27. The Canadian BDS Coalition and International BDS Allies
  28. Fighty fighters, GB   
  29. United Front UK
  30. Progressive South Asian Society, GB 
  31. Azaad Brussels
  32. Inquilabi NL
  33. Secours Rouge Toulouse
  34. Anti-Imperialist Front 
  35. Critical Diasporic South Asian Feminisms Collective, Canada
  36. Collective of Socialist Republicans, GB 
  37. Solidarity Screenings Glasgow
  38. Red Clyde, GB 
  39. Young Struggle
  40. Sapna South Asian Climate Solidarity, Australia

Watch our video series on Adani, featuring Ravi Nair here.