Gujarat court issues notices to Abhisar Sharma, Raju Parulekar on Adani Group's defamation complaints

Ahmedabad, Sep 16 (IANS) The Adani Group has filed criminal defamation complaints against YouTuber Abhisar Sharma and blogger Raju Parulekar, accusing them of deliberately spreading false and defamatory content to malign its reputation.

A Gujarat court has issued notice to both accused, directing them to appear on September 20. If admitted, the cases may proceed to trial, where both face penalties of up to two years’ imprisonment, fines, or both.

The cases, filed before the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Gandhinagar (PS Adalaj), invoke Sections 356(1), 356(2) and 356(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 — equivalent to IPC Sections 499, 500 and 501.

The complaints point to a YouTube video uploaded on August 18, 2025, by Sharma alleging 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.

In both instances, Adani says the allegations were baseless and misleading, given that the Gauhati High Court order of August 12, 2025 — which they cited — makes no reference to the Adani Group.

The company has 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.

Evidence placed before the court includes the Sharma video and transcript, Parulekar’s social media posts, the Gauhati High Court order, and supporting records.

--IANS

na/vd