Draft Statement of Concern on SLAPP Cases filed against authors, journalists and publishers

Please find attached a “Draft Statement of Concern on SLAPP Cases filed against authors, journalists and publishers” in the matter of “Gas Wars: Crony Capitalism and the Ambanis” co-authored and published by Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and the review article ‘“Ambani ki dukaan?” ’by Sucheta Dalal  for your comments, suggestions and endorsements.

thanks & regards

Gopal Krishna

[email protected]

Draft Statement of Concern on SLAPP Cases filed against authors, journalists and publishers

We, the undersigned condemn the threats defamation cases served on authors, journalists and now as publishers in writing.

We have read the book “Gas Wars: Crony Capitalism and the Ambanis” co-authored and published by Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and the review article ‘“Ambani ki dukaan?” ’by Sucheta Dalal, Managing Editor of moneylife magazine website and her messages on twitter and we found nothing defamatory either in the book or in the articles and tweets. The impeccable credentials of Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and Sucheta Dalal have been exemplary for Indian journalism in the era of paid news, embedded journalism and draconian corporate control over media. 

We note that both the book and the article are based on information that is readily available to everybody in the public domain.
We are outraged by the assault on freedom of press and public interest through threatening letters. The attempt to intimidate journalists who report truth which commercial czars is quite reprehensible. 

We express our support to the authors and publishers in question who have exercised their right to free expression enshrined in Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution of India. The day such voices are silenced that would be a black day for Indian journalism and democracy. 

We have observed that the authors have been fair to Late Dhirubhai Ambani, Mukesh Ambani and Anil Ambani and their companies, by providing their version of events and circumstances.

Among other issues, the core issue that this scholarly and rigorously referenced book and the articles in question raise is: who all are colluding with to deprive present and future generations of Indians of their claims of the natural resources of the country?
We have pondered over the questions like: “If gas price is low as per correct production rate then, why should Indians pay higher price of gas? Who wants Indians to pay price of Indian natural resource as per US price rate?” We observe that the legal notices from Mukesh Ambani and Anil Ambani and their companies through their lawyers will have us accept that raising such questions is defamatory.

While delivering the speech at the award of Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005, Harold Pinter said, “I believe that despite the enormous odds which exist, unflinching, unswerving, fierce intellectual determination, as citizens, to define the real truth of our lives and our societies is a crucial obligation which devolves upon us all. It is in fact mandatory. If such a determination is not embodied in our political vision we have no hope of restoring what is so nearly lost to us – the dignity of man.” Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, his co-authors and Sucheta Dalal and her colleagues have done their duty as citizens, writers and as purveyors of truth.
This undemocratic act by these richest persons of our country and the artificial persons-the companies- they run is totally unacceptable, deplorable and constitutes an illegitimate advance against citizens’ rights.

Signatories

अगर आप उपरोक्त वक्तव्य से सहमत हैं तो अपनी सहमति [email protected] पर मेल कर दें और इस स्टेटमेंट के बाएं तरफ दिख रहे फेसबुक और ट्विटर बटन को दबा दें.