EPW toes Adani line, Paranjoy Thakurta quits as editor

Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, who became the editor of the iconic Economic and Political Weekly in 2016, stepped down from his position after trustees ordered him to take down two articles on the Adani Group.

Last month, the Adani Group had sent a multi-crore defamation lawsuit to the authors of two articles—Did the Adani Group Evade Rs 1,000 Crore in Taxes? published on January 14 and Modi Government’s Rs 500-Crore Bonanza to the Adani Group, published on June 24—including Thakurta and the Sameeksha Trust, which runs the weekly, alleging that the articles were defamatory and “harmful to the reputation of their client”.

The letter that threatened the journal with an expensive lawsuit stated: “Our clients shall be constrained to take such action as they may be advised”.

Thakurta tendered his resignation soon after the Sameeksha Trust board, chaired by former Delhi University Vice-chancellor Deepak Nayyar, which met on Tuesday, ordered him to take down the two articles. While the June 24 article that was republished by The Wire is no longer available on the EPW website, the January 14 story can still be accessed. Interestingly, the Adani Group is yet to file an actual lawsuit despite the expiration of the 48-hour deadline given to EPW, The Wire reported.

Speaking to Newslaundry, Thakurta confirmed his resignation and said that he looked forward to spending more time in Delhi with his family.