Indian court orders removal of documentary on alleged Modi-Adani collusion

Oct 29, 2026, 10:03 am

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Billionaire Gautam Adani (left), chairman of the Adani Group, presents a commemorative plaque to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the inauguration of Navi Mumbai International Airport in Raigad, western India, on Oct. 8 last year. / Reuters-Yonhap

An Indian court has ordered the removal of an online documentary examining allegations of collusion between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and billionaire Gautam Adani, chairman of the Adani Group. The order follows a defamation lawsuit filed by Adani Enterprises, the group's flagship company.

According to Reuters on Oct. 27 (local time), the Calcutta High Court in eastern India issued an interim order the previous night directing YouTube, X (formerly Twitter) and Meta Platforms, which operates Instagram, to remove posts related to the documentary. The order targets "The Friendship Files," a 36-minute documentary produced and released by Sabeer Bhatia, co-founder of the email service Hotmail. The video spread rapidly across social media in recent days, drawing millions of views. Under the interim order, which remains in effect until Jan. 31 next year, the platforms must remove several related posts, while Bhatia is prohibited from distributing the documentary. Hearings on the main case are scheduled to resume in January next year.

In its lawsuit, Adani Enterprises alleged that the documentary was filled with false claims and had caused harm to the company, including prompting a flood of inquiries from investors. According to the court order, the company said it did not intend to suppress constructive criticism of government policies or the concentration of economic power among large corporations, but argued that Bhatia had concealed material facts. The court also characterized the documentary in its order as "a dramatized narrative rather than news reporting or a record of official proceedings."

Bhatia, who lives in the United States, immediately pushed back. Known for selling Hotmail to Microsoft in 1997, he disclosed on social media that Adani Enterprises was seeking 500 million rupees (approximately 7 billion won) in damages and insisted that "the truth is on my side." He also claimed, "I believe this documentary has shaken Adani Enterprises and touched a nerve at the highest levels."

The documentary uses archival footage to trace the relationship between Modi and Adani back to their years in Gujarat, their home state in western India. It raises particular questions about how Adani's companies secured operating rights for six airports shortly after the Indian government changed bidding rules in 2019. The allegations echo longstanding criticism from the Indian National Congress (INC), India's main opposition party. Congress and other opposition groups have claimed that the Modi government gave Adani preferential treatment by relaxing bidding requirements to allow companies with no previous experience in airport operations to participate. The Indian government and the Adani Group have consistently denied the allegations, maintaining that all procedures were conducted lawfully and that no preferential treatment was given.

Pressure over the video began even before the court issued its order. On Oct. 19, police in the western state of Maharashtra, which is governed by Modi's ruling alliance, sent Bhatia a notice demanding that he remove the video, warning that it contained "serious and baseless allegations." Raj Thackeray, a regional opposition leader known for criticizing Modi, also shared the video on social media but later deleted it at the request of Mumbai's police commissioner.

However, opposition politicians have continued sharing the documentary, arguing that it substantiates allegations of political-business collusion that opposition parties have raised for years. Opposition lawmaker Mahua Moitra continued to draw public attention to the video on the night of Oct. 26, when the court issued its removal order, writing on social media, "I posted the video on Oct. 11, and it is still on my timeline, so please watch it."

Jeong Ri-na

#India #Modi #Adani #Documentary