New Delhi, 18 Sept

Several journalists and content creators said they have received notices from YouTube and the government regarding the removal of "unverified and ex facie defamatory" content related to Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL) following a court order, a development termed "troubling" by the Editors Guild of India.

The Guild voiced "deep concern" over the recent order of a Delhi court that restrained nine journalists, activists and entities from publishing or circulating "unverified, unsubstantiated and ex facie defamatory" reports about AEL, and directed the removal of such content within five days.

"More disturbingly, the order further empowers the corporate entity to keep forwarding URLs and links of any content it considers defamatory to intermediaries or government agencies, who are then obliged to remove such content within 36 hours," the Guild said in a statement here.

The Guild termed "equally troubling" the action by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which issued notices to platforms including YouTube and Instagram, ordering the removal of more than 138 links and 83 posts, respectively.

"This extension of executive power has effectively given a private corporation powers to determine what constitutes defamatory content regarding their affairs, which extends the power to order content takedown," it said.

The Guild is concerned that such blanket powers granted to a corporate entity, coupled with ministerial action in issuing takedown directions, are a step towards censorship, the statement said.

"A free and fearless press is indispensable to democracy. Any system that allows private interests to unilaterally silence critical or uncomfortable voices poses a serious risk to the public's right to know," the Guild said.

Satirist Akash Banerjee, who runs the YouTube channel 'Deshbhakt', said he and other independent YouTubers were given 36 hours to remove more than 200 pieces of content without any opportunity to contest the order.