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The Delhi High Court on May 29 directed YouTuber Mohak Mangal and comedian Kunal Kamra to remove content from social media that allegedly defamed news agency ANI. The court is hearing a defamation case filed by ANI, which is seeking ?2.10 crore in damages and a permanent stop to further defamatory posts.
The dispute began after Mangal released a YouTube video on May 25 accusing ANI of misusing copyright laws and asking him to pay ?40 lakh to settle copyright strikes. ANI, represented by senior advocate Amit Sibal, told the court that Mangal used its copyrighted material and trademark without permission, and published false and damaging claims. Mangal’s channel has over 4 million subscribers.
Kamra asked to take down tweet
The court also took up a tweet by comedian Kunal Kamra where he referred to ANI as “thugs” and “mafia.” Justice Amit Bansal said the language used in the post was not acceptable and asked Kamra’s lawyer whether he would remove it. Kamra’s lawyer said no, but the court still gave an oral instruction to delete the tweet. A second tweet was also discussed but no direction was issued yet.
AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair, who had made one tweet on the issue, agreed to remove it. His lawyer said Zubair had not earned any money from the post.
ANI alleges trademark misuse, fake content
ANI said Mangal used its video clips without permission, added a disclaimer in small font, and created what it described as a fake transcript involving ANI Editor Smita Prakash. The agency also said that after the video was posted, others began calling for a boycott of ANI and using abusive language online.
Justice Bansal, after viewing parts of the video, said some of the remarks crossed a line and told Mangal’s legal team to consider removing those sections.
Mangal’s defence: Copyright strikes used for pressure
Mangal’s lawyer Chander Lall said ANI first offered a ?45 lakh content deal, then reduced it to ?24 lakh, and later demanded ?40 lakh through copyright claims. He said ANI was using YouTube’s copyright tools to silence criticism. But the judge asked why Mangal used ANI’s videos without a licence and said the focus should be on the parts that were defamatory.
ANI is demanding that the video be removed and that Mangal and others stop using its trademark. The court will continue hearing the matter after reviewing whether the oral directions have been followed.
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