2 weeks ago
Gujarat Police seize journalist Ravi Nair's devices in Adani-LIC case
A journalist named Ravi Nair wrote a story for a big newspaper called The Washington Post.
The story said that a big Indian insurance company called LIC was told by the government to invest a lot of money in companies owned by a very rich businessman named Gautam Adani.
The Adani company said the story was not true and filed a complaint with the police.
The police got permission from a court to take Nair's phones and other electronic devices.
They also took a laptop from his son and devices from his colleague.
One report said a colleague's iPad was taken, while journalist Dhanya Rajendran said a colleague's laptop and iPad were taken.
The insurance company said it never received or issued the documents mentioned in the story and never got instructions from the government.
Nair's friend and fellow journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta said the police are just trying to find out who gave him the information.
A court had earlier refused to stop the police investigation, and Nair was also found guilty in another case about things he wrote about the Adani company.
The police say they are checking whether the documents used in the story were fake.
Gujarat Police, accompanied by Delhi Police, seized electronic devices belonging to journalist Ravi Nair, his son, and a colleague in raids in Kerala and Delhi.
The raids came six days after the Gujarat High Court refused to quash an FIR filed by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ).
The FIR concerns Nair's October social media posts about his Washington Post article alleging LIC invested $3.9 billion in Adani Group on government direction.
LIC rejected the report, saying it neither received nor issued the cited documents and received no government instruction to invest in Adani companies.
Nair was convicted in February 2026 in a separate criminal defamation case filed by Adani Enterprises Ltd; the Supreme Court had earlier directed him to the Gujarat High Court.
- Who
- Journalist Ravi Nair; Gujarat Police; Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ); Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC)
- What
- Police seized Nair's electronic devices after the Gujarat High Court refused to quash an FIR over his social media posts about a Washington Post article alleging LIC invested $3.9 billion in Adani Group.
- Where
- Raids in Kerala and Delhi; FIR and court proceedings in Gujarat (Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar).
- When
- Monday, August 17, 2026, six days after the Gujarat High Court refused to quash the FIR on August 11.
- Why
- APSEZ alleged Nair posted false and fabricated information about LIC-Adani investments that tarnished the Adani Group's reputation and caused financial losses.
Critics of the investigation
APSEZ and investigators
Legitimacy of the FIR
Critics of the investigation
Nair's supporters say the FIR is meant to harass him and uncover his sources, and that a mere denial by LIC cannot make the documents forged.
APSEZ and investigators
APSEZ alleges the documents and information used by Nair were false and fabricated from the beginning, and investigators are examining the provenance of the documents.
Seizure of devices
Critics of the investigation
Journalist Dhanya Rajendran said police seized devices belonging to non-accused persons (Nair's son and a colleague) and refused to provide hash values, calling it an attack on journalists.
APSEZ and investigators
The seizure was authorized by a judicial magistrate's order and a court-approved search as part of the ongoing investigation.
Nair's record
Critics of the investigation
Rajendran portrays Nair as a journalist being persecuted by a powerful corporate group.
APSEZ and investigators
Nair was convicted in February 2026 in a separate criminal defamation case filed by Adani Enterprises Ltd, which the court said crossed the line into criminal defamation.
Key facts
- Journalist
- Ravi Nair
- FIR filed by
- Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ)
- Alleged investment amount
- $3.9 billion
- FIR sections
- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 318(4), 336(2), 336(4), 340(2)
- High Court ruling
- Refused to quash FIR on August 11
- LIC response
- Rejected the report on October 25 and October 28, 2025
- Devices seized
- Two phones of Nair, his son's laptop, and a colleague's laptop and iPad
- Prior conviction
- One year simple imprisonment and ₹5,000 fine (February 2026, Adani Enterprises defamation case)
Quotes
Counsel for Ravi Nair
Lawyer representing journalist Ravi Nair
“"...and also mere denial of the facts narrated in the article by the LIC, would not make the documents, based upon which, the article was published by the petitioner in The Washington Post, forged, and therefore, the petitioner herein cannot be prosecuted for the offence in question,"”
scroll.in
“So the court said seize devices if needed!”
opindia.com










