ANI has moved the Delhi High Court against YouTuber Mohak Mangal for defamation over claims of extortion and copyright misuse. The suit also names Kunal Kamra and Mohammed Zubair for sharing the viral video.
New Delhi: Today, On May 28, Asian News International (ANI) has filed a defamation suit before the Delhi High Court against YouTuber Mohak Mangal, alleging that his recent video contains false and damaging statements against the news agency.
The case, filed through Advocate Akshit Mago, is likely to be heard on May 29.
ANI has also made comedian Kunal Kamra and AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair defendants in the case for sharing the video on their X (formerly Twitter) handles.
ANI claims that these individuals have not only amplified the allegedly defamatory video but have also made separate remarks against the agency and its founders without any legal or factual basis.
Mohak Mangal had uploaded a video on May 25 accusing ANI of blackmail and extortion. In the video, Mangal said ANI issued copyright strikes against his YouTube channel for using short clips of its content.
He further claimed that an ANI representative contacted him and asked for a payment of over Rs 40 lakh to remove the copyright strikes.
In the plea, ANI argues that the video was made with the purpose of harming the agency’s reputation and insulting its services that are protected under registered trademarks.
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ANI emphasized that Mangal openly admitted to using ANI’s original copyrighted videos to earn revenue, and despite this, went ahead and published a video full of defamatory statements.
ANI said the video contains intentional falsehoods that discredit its reputation and discourage people from using its services. It also claimed that its trademarks were misused along with defamatory remarks in the video.
The news agency strongly objected to others sharing the video and posting additional content targeting it and its leadership.
The lawsuit further states,
“In addition to widely sharing the Impugned Video, these Defendants have independently published further false, baseless, and malicious statements targeting the Plaintiff and its founders. These statements are devoid of any factual or legal foundation and are clearly intended to malign the Plaintiff’s reputation and lower its estimation in the eyes of the public.”
ANI is seeking the following reliefs from the court:
- A permanent and mandatory injunction against Mohak Mangal, asking him to take down the video, stop using ANI’s trademarks, and refrain from publishing or sharing any further defamatory or false content related to ANI or its services.
- Similar restraining orders against Kunal Kamra, Mohammed Zubair, and others to stop them from making or circulating any defamatory or misleading statements against ANI.
This case is shaping up to be a significant legal battle over content rights, free speech, and online defamation in India.
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Background: Viral Tweet Adds Fuel to the Fire
Adding to the controversy, a tweet by X user Roshan Rai went viral, supporting Mohak Mangal’s claims and targeting ANI’s leadership. The tweet read:
“So as per Mohak Mangal, ANI owned by Smita Dalaal Prakash is sending copyright strikes to big YouTube creators and then asking lakhs in extortion money. This video must reach everyone, how rotten is this lady and her organisation.”
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