EPW asked Paranjoy Guha Thakurta not to write under his byline

Following the corporate giant Adani’s Strategic Lawsuit against Public Participation (SLAPP) editor of Economic & Political Weekly (EPW) Paranjoy Guha Thakurta was asked to resign on Tuesday which he did.

The reason being cited is the ‘differences between Thakurta and the management’ over a story which he co-authored about an Adani company, but the reality is that his resignation is an outcome of Adani’s onslaught on media.

Talking to National Herald over phone from Mumbai, Thakurta said that he was asked not to publish stories with his byline by managers of the EPW. Without naming anybody he said that in a meeting held on Tuesday, people of the Sameeksha Trust asked him to change the editorial line and character of the magazine.

“They (trustees) said you published Adani’s legal notice and our response to him without our permission. We are not happy with you. They also asked me to take down the stories on Adani,” he added.

The story Modi Government’s ₹500-Crore Bonanza to the Adani Group which Thakurta co-authored with his Editorial Assistant, Abir Dasgupta and two independent journalists Advait Rao Palepu and Shinzani Jain, was published on June 24, 2017.

Following the publication of the story in EPW, Adani Group sent a notice to Sameeksha Trust, the publisher of EPW and Thakurta. The Adani Group further threatened Thakurta that it would sue him for defamation.

Adani group, through legal notice, has demanded that immediate steps should be taken to “remove/delete and unconditionally retract” two stories – Did the Adani Group Evade ₹1,000 Crore in Taxes? (January 14, 2017) and Modi Government’s ₹500-Crore Bonanza to the Adani Group (June 24, 2017) from the website.

Adani group has alleged that the stories published in EPW were defamatory and harmful to the reputation of the company.

While the story Modi Government’s ₹500 Crore Bonanza to Adani Group Company has been removed from the EPW’s website. Did the Adani Group Evade ₹1,000 Crore in Taxes? can still be found on the page.

A senior journalist told on the condition of anonymity that ‘action’ against Thakurta was very much expected amidst the growing pressure from Adani Group on the publisher.

Last week, when this correspondent met Thakurta at his Nizammuddin office, he acknowledged receiving a legal notice from Adani group but there was no sign of pressure on him. He appeared to be fearless, full of energy and ready to do more ground-breaking stories.

“We received a legal notice from Adani group. We have sent our response too. Both (their notice and our response) are available on the EPW’s website. You can find it there. You know, we have not written anything against Adani. Instead we questioned the government’s intention as why policy was tweaked in a manner that a particular company made huge profit,” he told this correspondent while discussing the ethics of journalism. It is expected that the trust will issue a statement on the latest developments on July 20.