Leading daily Gujarat Samachar’s co-owner arrested following ED raids: Family

Gujarat Samachar editor-in-chief and managing director Shreyans Shah blamed political vendetta for his brother Bahubali Shah’s arrest late on Thursday

Updated on: May 16, 2025, 11:13:45 IST

By Maulik Pathak

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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested the co-owner of Gujarat Samachar following raids at the premises linked to one of the oldest and highest circulating daily regional dailies and the residences of its owners, his family said on Friday.

The ED conducted raids at 24 locations before arresting Bahubali Shah. (HT PHOTO)

People aware of the matter said Bahubali Shah was arrested over alleged financial irregularities, even as the ED had yet to issue a statement specifying the grounds for arrest. The X account of Gujarat Samachar, founded in 1932, was suspended on May 9 without any explanation.

Gujarat Samachar editor-in-chief and managing director Shreyans Shah blamed political vendetta for his brother’s arrest late on Thursday. He said the ED summoned and arrested him without any prior written notice after raids lasting 36 hours.

Shreyans Shah said his brother has been unwell after suffering a severe heart attack. He accused authorities of pressuring Bahubali Shah to confess to “certain things”.

Shreyans Shah said the ED raids pertained to some transactions 20 years ago. “All these transactions were done through the bank. This is a civil matter, and we are ready to fight it in the courts. We do not have any criminal background. Why is my brother being treated like this?”

He said his brother, the director of Gujarat Samachar’s publisher, Lok Prakashan Ltd, and Gujarat Samachar Ltd, which operates GSTV, was being treated at a hospital.

On May 14, the Income Tax department conducted raids at multiple locations linked to Gujarat Samachar, including its headquarters. The residences of Bahubali Shah, Shreyans Shah, and the GSTV news channel office were also raided.

The ED conducted raids at 24 locations, including the residences of Shreyans Shah’s sons, Nirman and Amam Shah, and the newspaper’s online department office. The premises linked to the Shah family’s real estate ventures were also raided.

The opposition Congress linked the arrest to Gujarat Samachar’s bold anti-establishment stance. “Late last [Thursday] night, the ED arrested Bahubali Bhai Shah of Gujarat Samachar. The 93-year-old newspaper has been a bold anti-establishment voice. This is the fate of those who have the guts to openly say that the emperor is naked,” wrote Congress leader Pawan Khera in an X post.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maulik Pathak
He is an Ahmedabad-based journalist with more than two decades of experience. His career spans business journalism and general news, with reporting across politics, crime, governance, public policy, business, industry, infrastructure, energy, ports, aviation, the environment, wildlife and social issues. He began his career in feature writing before moving into business journalism, reporting on companies and sectors including energy, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, automobiles and real estate. Over the years, his work expanded to politics, courts, crime, public policy, civic affairs, the environment and wildlife. His reporting has taken him from government offices and courtrooms to factory floors, ports, forests and remote villages, covering stories that range from industrial investments and financial markets to elections, conservation and issues affecting everyday life. While many assignments demand the pace of the daily news cycle, others require sustained reporting over months and years to follow developments beyond the headlines. He started his journalism career with the Asian Age in Ahmedabad in 2002 as a feature writer and sub-editor. Since 2022, he has been working with Hindustan Times. Earlier, he worked with Business Standard, DNA, The Economic Times, Mint and The Times of India. His longest stint was with Mint, where he spent more than eight years reporting across multiple beats. During his career, he has worked in both reporting and editing roles, contributing to page planning, local editions and special editorial projects as newsrooms evolved from print-first operations to digital publishing. Early in his career, he also worked on media and documentary projects with an NGO and as a copywriter at a communications agency before returning to journalism. Away from work, he sometimes makes time for a pair of binoculars, table tennis, cinema and the occasional poem.Read More

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