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Asian News International has filed a defamation suit in the Delhi High Court against YouTuber Mohak Mangal for posting an allegedly defamatory video accusing the news agency of extortion and blackmail. Comedian Kunal Kamra and AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair, among others, were also listed as defendants in the suit for allegedly sharing Mangal’s claims on social media.

Mangal in his video uploaded on May 25 had accused ANI of extortion and blackmail after the news agency initiated copyright strikes against his YouTube channel for using its footage in his material. He contended that he had used the footage under the “fair use” principle.

The court is expected to hear the matter on Thursday.

The Supreme Court has ordered the Assam Human Rights Commission to investigate the alleged “fake encounters” by the state police since 2021. The court passed the direction in response to a petition claiming that more than 80 staged gunfights had taken place in Assam since May 2021, when Bharatiya Janata Party leader Himanta Biswa Sarma became the chief minister.

The bench said that while a mere compilation of cases could not lead to...