Indian court bans documentary on Adani, Modi

An Indian court ordered the takedown of an online documentary by Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and billionaire Gautam Adani of cronyism. Adani Enterprises sued in the High Court in Kolkata, calling the film defamatory and riddled with false content, and said it prompted inquiries from some investors. The court's interim order, in force until Jan 31, 2027, requires YouTube, X and Meta's Instagram to remove several posts of the 36-minute film, "The Friendship Files", and restrains Bhatia from disseminating it. Bhatia said the lawsuit demands 500 million rupees in damages and wrote, "Truth is on my side." Adani Enterprises, Modi's office and Bhatia did not respond to requests for comment. Police in Maharashtra had sent a takedown notice on Oct 19, saying the content made serious unsubstantiated allegations. The Indian government and the Adani group deny favouritism, and opposition figures have shared the film. Hearings are likely to resume in January.

Where accounts differ. The South China Morning Post article is a shorter excerpt that omits the damages claim, Bhatia's comments, and the Maharashtra police notice, which appear only in bdnews24.com and The Financial Express.

South China Morning PostThe Financial Expressbdnews24.com

Written by AI from these outlets' articles: facts they report, claims attributed, numbers checked against the sources. It may still contain errors; read the originals.