The Delhi police on Monday reportedly issued an arrest warrant to independent journalist Ravi Nair in connection with a defamation case filed by the Adani group.
As per the defamation case, Nair is supposed to appear before a Gandhinagar court in Gujarat, where the suit has been filed, said a report from The Wire. Over the years, Nair has filed quite a few investigative stories, which have been critical of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and its economic policies.
Nair’s work especially has been critical of the BJP’s approach to the Rafael Deal and the Adani Group’s role in the same. The journalist maintained that he wasn’t give any prior intimation regarding the warrant. “I didn’t even know that there was a case filed against me. They should have served summons first. If the court has sent a summons, it never came to me… I have never received anything,xt” Nair was quoted as saying by The Wire.
It is to be noted that India’s rankings in various global indices has been consistently poor under the Narendra Modi led government, which has been evident through released by the global media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
India’s ranking in the World Press Freedom Index has fallen down to 150th position from last year’s 142nd rank out of 180 countries, according to a report by a global media watchdog released in May this year.
The ranking of India’s neighbours, except that of Nepal, have also slid down, with the index placing Pakistan at 157th position, Sri Lanka 146th, Bangladesh 162nd and Maynmar at 176th position, the report released by Reporters Without Borders said.
According to the RSF 2022 World Press Freedom Index, Nepal has climbed up by 30 points in the global ranking at 76th position. Last year, the Himalayan nation had been placed at 106th position, Pakistan at 145th, Sri Lanka 127th, Bangladesh 152nd and Myanmar at 140th position in the index.
Reporters sans frontieres (RSF) said the Indian authorities should respect the right to freedom of expression and release any journalists detained on trumped-up or politically motivated charges for their critical reporting and stop targeting them and muzzling independent media.
“The authorities’ targeting of journalists coupled with a broader crackdown on dissent has emboldened Hindu nationalists to threaten, harass and abuse journalists critical of the Indian government, both online and offline, with impunity,” it said.