KOLKATA (The Thursday Times) — Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia has said he values Gautam Adani’s reputation at “Rs 0”, after the Calcutta High Court barred sharing of his documentary about the tycoon’s ties to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and ordered social media platforms to hand over data on accounts that posted it.
“I contend that wealth acquired through alleged wrongdoing does not confer credibility or reputation,” Bhatia wrote on social media on Tuesday, responding to Adani Enterprises’ Rs 50 crore defamation suit. “My valuation of that reputation? Rs 0. And if the reputational damage is zero, the compensation should be zero.”
Platforms told to keep logs
The court’s order, which TT reported on Tuesday, bars the publication, uploading and sharing of the 36-minute film, The Friendship Files: How Modi and Adani Stole India, until January 31. Justice Aryak Dutt directed platforms to remove it at every URL listed by Adani Enterprises, and to disable reposts, quote posts and shares that kept it accessible, Scroll reported.
YouTube, X and Instagram were also told to preserve subscriber and registration details and IP and access logs for the listed accounts, and to file the details of account holders who could not be identified in a sealed cover within two weeks. The judge noted that Bhatia had re-uploaded the film after the original was disabled, which he said showed a prima facie “want of good faith”, and said continued circulation could cause harm that damages could not repair. “Constructive criticism or truthful reporting on the petitioner or on government policy, backed by evidence, is not barred,” the court added.
Thackeray deletes his post
Days earlier, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray removed the documentary from his own social media after a request from Mumbai’s police commissioner, saying he did so out of respect for the police but was not withdrawing his criticism of Adani. Mumbai Police had sent legal notices to 24 X account holders who shared the film, which Thackeray said had drawn some 4.8 million views on X. Modi’s opponents have long accused him of favouring Adani; both the government and the Adani Group deny it.
