Paranjoy Guha Thakurta stepped down from his position as Editor of Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) on Tuesday.
The resignation comes in the wake of the Adani Group sending the 50-year-old journal a defamation notice earlier this month for a story on how the government allegedly bent the rules for the group with regard to Special Economic Zones, which allegedly led to the business group earning a refund on tax worth Rs. 500 crore.
Speaking to The Hindu , Mr. Guha Thakurta confirmed his resignation but not whether this was over differences with the board of trustees over the defamation notice. “I have decided to spend more time in Delhi with my family. I was honoured and privileged to be its Editor for 15 months and a little longer,” he said.
The Adani Group sent the notice to Sameeksha Trust, the publisher of EPW and the authors of the article, Mr. Guha Thakurta, Abir Dasgupta, the Editorial Assistant, and two independent journalists Advait Rao Palepu and Shinzani Jain.
Mr. Guha Thakurta, a senior journalist, author and political commentator, took over as Editor of EPW in 2016 . C. Rammanohar Reddy, who was its Editor since 2004, quit over differences with the board of trustees on the publication’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
