Two Indian Entities Among RSF’s Press Freedom Predators’ List
OpIndia and Adani Group Named in 2025 List Targeting Global Press Freedom
November 27, 2025
Two Indian entities have been named in Reporters Without Borders’ 2025 “Press Freedom Predators” list, a roster of 34 governments, officials and organisations accused of systematically attacking journalists and the right to independent information.
The list, released to mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, named OpIndia, a Hindu nationalist news website, and the Adani Group, a conglomerate led by billionaire Gautam Adani, under separate categories for allegedly promoting online harassment and judicial intimidation of critical media.
The annual list, positioned as a counterpart to RSF’s World Press Freedom Index, identifies alleged offenders by the method of suppression, ranging from legal harassment to physical violence, economic pressure and coordinated disinformation efforts.
RSF placed OpIndia in the “Social” category, stating that the outlet engaged in smear campaigns against journalists and fuelled public distrust toward the media.
According to the report, OpIndia published 96 articles in 2025 targeting journalists and outlets critical of the Indian government. These pieces were often followed by online abuse directed at those mentioned, it says.
On October 23, shortly after RSF announced that Dhanya Rajendran, editor of The News Minute, had been nominated for its Prize for Impact, OpIndia allegedly published defamatory content about her, RSF said.
The site also released a 200-page document earlier this year that RSF described as conspiracy-driven, accusing journalists of running a coordinated “narrative war” against the government. RSF alleged that OpIndia regularly casts critical media as part of a “Soros ecosystem” or an “anti-India lobby,” labels it said were used to discredit independent journalism.
RSF described OpIndia’s primary weapon as “conspiracy theories.”
The Adani Group, one of India’s largest corporate entities, was listed under the “Legal” category for allegedly using the court system to silence journalists.
RSF reported that in 2025, the group filed two gag lawsuits, combining civil and criminal defamation charges, against eight journalists and three media organisations. In both cases, courts reportedly granted ex parte injunctions (a court order issued without notifying or hearing the other party involved) that allowed the company to determine which media content was defamatory, without a subsequent hearing.
RSF added that the suits included a “John Doe” clause, which allows a lawsuit to include unidentified people so the case can later be expanded to additional parties.
The Adani Group’s 2025 actions also involved content takedown notices, RSF said.
The Ministry of Information issued orders targeting independent journalist Ravish Kumar and outlets such as Newslaundry, The Wire and HW News, allegedly at the group’s behest.
The list quoted from a September 7, 2025, suit filed by Adani Enterprises: “The Plaintiff is aggrieved by the actions of certain reporters, activists and organisations, who, with malicious intent, have damaged the Adani Group’s reputation and also cost its stakeholders billions of dollars and also caused massive loss to the image, brand equity and credibility of India’s brand as a country.”
The suit alleged that these parties had aligned with “anti-India interests” and were attempting to disrupt infrastructure and energy projects.
Other entrants on the 2025 predators’ list included the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), cited for the deaths of nearly 220 journalists under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Myanmar’s State Peace and Security Commission; and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, described as Mexico’s most violent criminal organisation.
Global figures such as Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Mohammed bin Salman and Elon Musk were also named, with RSF citing their involvement in censorship, propaganda, or harassment of journalists.
RSF stated that some predators use the state apparatus to suppress media, others rely on physical force or economic pressure, while some exploit judicial systems or incite public hostility toward the press.
The use of technology to curtail reporting increased in 2025, with examples ranging from artificial intelligence-driven state propaganda in China to coordinated smear campaigns by the IDF and content suppression through social media.
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