ANI has filed a defamation suit against YouTuber Mohak Mangal before the Delhi High Court, Bar and Bench reported.

In a video on May 25, Mangal had accused the news agency of extortion and blackmail after it initiated YouTube copyright strikes against him for using short clips in his videos. Mangal claimed that an ANI representative had reached out to him and asked him to pay over Rs 40 lakh to clear the copyright strikes.

However, ANI claims Mangal had openly admitted to using the ANI’s original copyrighted videos to earn revenue, according to Bar and Bench. Despite this, he published a video filled with defamatory and damaging statements, it said, adding that the video is an attempt to discredit the news agency.

The suit also reportedly mentions stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra and AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair as defendants for sharing the video on their X handles.

The matter is likely to be heard on Thursday. 

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