Gujrat court issues notices to journos Abhisar Sharma and Parulekar on Adani Group's defamation plaint

Adani Group has issued defamation complaints against journalists Abhisar Sharma and Raju Parulekar for allegedly disseminating false information. The Gandhinagar court has summoned them to appear on September 20 to respond to the charges.

A magistrate's court in Gandhinagar has issued notices to journalists Abhisar Sharma and Raju Parulekar for personal appearance on September 20, after criminal defamation complaints were filed against them by Adani Group.

The business conglomerate accused Sharma, a YouTuber, and Parulekar, a blogger, of spreading false and defamatory content to malign its reputation. The Court of Judicial Magistrate First Class, Gandhinagar, (Adalaj police station), issued notices to both individuals and directed them to appear on September 20, according to Adani Group's lawyer Sanjay Thakkar.

He said the notices were issued by the magistrate under section 223 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which says that "no cognisance of an offence shall be taken by the Magistrate without giving the accused an opportunity of being heard".

"Upon the receipt of the notice, both of them are supposed to appear in person or through their lawyers before the court on September 20 to put forward their side. While Sharma had uploaded defamatory content on his YouTube channel, Parulekar made defamatory comments on platform X," said Thakkar.

The Group has invoked sections 356 (1, 2, and 3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which are equivalent to the Indian Penal Code sections 499, 500, and 501, he said.

"The complaints point to a YouTube video uploaded on August 18, 2025, by Sharma alleging that thousands of bighas of land in Assam had been allotted to Adani and tying the company to a pattern of supposed political favours, as well as to a series of tweets and retweets by Parulekar since January 2025 making similar claims of land grabs, scams and undue benefits," he said.

Adani Group has dismissed the "baseless and misleading" allegations, stating that the Gauhati High Court order dated August 12, 2025, cited by respondents, made no reference to the business conglomerate.

"The company also clarified that Mahabal Cement Pvt Ltd, the firm at the centre of the High Court case, has no connection with Adani in any manner," said Thakkar. Evidence placed before the court includes Sharma's video and transcript, Parulekar's social media posts, the Gauhati High Court order, and supporting records.

If admitted, the cases may proceed to trial, where both can face imprisonment up to two years, fines, or both, added Thakkar.