Dear All, If you agree with the statement, kindly endorse it and share it with people who are concerned about the increasing assault on freedom of expression.
*Statement of Concern on SLAPP Cases filed against authors, journalists and publishers* We, the undersigned condemn the threats of 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 * 1. Prof. Jayati Ghosh, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 2. Githa Hariharan, Writer 3. Garga Chatterjee, Indian Statistical Institute 4. Seema Mustafa, Editor, The Citizen, www.thecitizen.in 5. Chittaroopa Palit, Narmada Bachao Andolan 6. Prof. Ayesha Kidwai, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 7. Arun Kumar, Former Member, Press Council of India (XIth Term), General Secretary, Bihar Working Journalists Union, Member, National Executive Committee and Indian Journalists Union 8. Prof. Kamal Mitra Chenoy, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 9. Noor Zaheer Zaheer, Writer and Researcher 10. Preeti Sampat, Anthropologist, City University of New York 11. Siddharth Varadarajan, Journalist & Former Editor, The Hindu 12. Prof. (Dr) Dr.Mohan Rao, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 13. Mitali Saran, Writer & Columnist 14. Subhash Gatade, author and human rights activist 15. Dr. Malem Ningthouja, Campaign for Peace & Democracy, Manipur 16. Irfan Engineer, Director, Institute of Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution, Mumbai 17. Mukul, Dube, Writer, Photographer and social activist 18. Gautam Navlakha, human rights activist & journalist, Delhi 19. Omair Ahmad, Author 20. Trupti Shah, Activist, Gujarat 21. Himanshu Thakkar, South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP) 22. Kamayani Bali Mahabal, Feminist and Human rights activist, Mumbai 23. Faisal khan, National Alliance of People's Movements 24. Yashwant, Editor, http://bhadas4media.com/, NCR 25. Pushpraj, Journalist and Author of Nandigram Diary, Patna 26. Rohit Prajapati, Activist, Gujarat 27. Xavier Dias, Editor, Khan Kaneej Aur ADHIKAR (Mines, minerals & RIGHTS), Jharkhand 28. Prithvi Raj Sharma, founder member of Indian Community Activists network (ICAN) 29. Dilip Simeon, Historian and author of Revolution Highway, Delhi 30. Gopal Krishna, independent researcher, journalist and social activist 31. Dr Babu Rao Kalapala, Scientist 32. Dipak Dholakia, Citizens' Solidarity--Forum for Water and Sanitation (CS-FWS) 33. Kiran Shaheen, Memoirist and activist 34. Sudhir Pattnaik, Writer and Media Person, Bhubaneswar 35. Sankara Narayanan, social activist 36. Persis Ginwalla, Social activist, Ahmedabad 37. B.R. Bapuji, Professor (Retired), University of Hyderabad 38. M. Thimma Reddy, People's Monitoring Group on Electricity Regulation, Hyderabad 39. Shweta Tripathi, Social Activist 40. R.Subbarao, Social Activist, Secunderabad 41. Sagar Rabari, Jamin Adhikar Andolan, Gujarat (JAAG) 42. Krishnakant, Social activist, Gujarat 43. Ashok Tankashala, Journalist and Writer, Hyderabad 44. Dr Paresh R. 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