Ambani, Adani outlets among Indian publishers contesting Modi’s privacy law
Publishers say the law lacks a journalism exemption and could force consent checks, erasure requests and source disclosures that weaken investigative reporting.
- A group of 21 news publishers, including Mukesh Ambani's Network18 and Gautam Adani's NDTV, challenged India's privacy law in court, with the Supreme Court scheduled to hear the case on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
- The Digital News Publishers Association argues the law grants the state broad exemptions while failing to protect the press, lacking written carve-outs found in the European Union, Singapore, and Britain.
- Publishers fear that 'nakedly unguided' provisions requiring consent could force reporters to reveal sources, allowing subjects to 'destroy evidence, intimidate witnesses,' and force newsrooms to unpublish factual reports.
- India's government describes its media as a 'vibrant press and media ecosystem' and rejects concerns about declining rankings in the World Press Freedom Index, maintaining they respect press freedom.
- Most contentious provisions are scheduled to take effect in May 2027, prompting the DNPA to demand the court quash sections they claim 'constitute pre-censorship which is anathema to any democracy worth its name.
45 Articles
45 Articles
Why Is Modi’s Privacy Law Facing a Legal Challenge From India’s News Publishers?
India’s leading news publishers are challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s digital privacy law, warning that its provisions could undermine investigative journalism, expose confidential sources and give authorities greater leverage over independent media. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act is scheduled to come into force next year. Media organisations, including outlets associated with billionaires Mukesh Ambani […]
Indian news publishers challenge privacy law over press freedom
A group of 21 news publishers, including companies owned by billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani, has challenged India’s privacy law in court, arguing it would trample investigative work and let New Delhi identify journalists’ sources, documents show. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government last year announced implementation of a privacy law to protect digital personal […]
Channel News Asia
Kyodo News+Indian media groups decry Modi’s privacy law in court, say newsrooms face shutdown risk
NEW DELHI: The Indian government's privacy law, which would require journalists to seek consent from people they write about, amounted to pre-censorship and could lead to newsrooms shutting down, media groups told the Supreme Court on Tuesday (Oct 27), starting the most high-profile challenge against the legislation
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