Delhi High Court Sees Defamation Suit Against YouTuber Over Extortion Claims
Defamation Case Filed Against YouTuber
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A defamation lawsuit has been initiated in the Delhi High Court by a news agency against YouTuber Mohak Mangal, who allegedly posted a video making defamatory claims about the agency, accusing it of extortion and blackmail. The suit also includes comedian Kunal Kamra and Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of AltNews, as defendants for allegedly disseminating Mangal’s accusations on social media.
In a video released on May 25, Mangal alleged that the news agency engaged in extortion and blackmail after it filed copyright strikes against his YouTube channel for using its footage. He argued that his use of the footage fell under the 'fair use' doctrine.
The court is set to hear the case on Thursday.
The Supreme Court has instructed the Assam Human Rights Commission to investigate claims of 'fake encounters' by the state police since 2021. This directive came in response to a petition alleging that over 80 staged gunfights occurred in Assam since May 2021, coinciding with the tenure of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The bench noted that while a mere list of cases does not warrant blanket judicial orders, the allegations of staged encounters are serious. If substantiated, these claims could represent severe violations of the right to life.
A group of ten MLAs from Manipur, including seven from the Bharatiya Janata Party, has approached Governor Ajay Bhalla to advocate for the establishment of a 'popular government' in the state. Following the resignation of Chief Minister N Biren Singh on February 13, President’s Rule has been in effect, with Bhalla overseeing the troubled state.
A BJP MLA has asserted that 44 MLAs are in favor of forming a new government.
The Supreme Court has ruled that the investigation by the Special Investigation Team into comments made by Ashoka University Associate Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad regarding press briefings on Operation Sindoor should be confined to the two first information reports filed against him. The bench stated that the interim protection granted to the professor will remain in effect until further notice.
Additionally, the court mandated that the investigation report be submitted to it before being presented to the jurisdictional court.
One of the cases was initiated following a complaint from Yogesh Jatheri, the general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Yuva Morcha unit in Haryana, while the second was based on a complaint from Renu Bhatia, chairperson of the Haryana State Women’s Commission.
A man has been convicted by a Chennai court for sexually assaulting a student on the Anna University campus. He was found guilty on all 11 counts, including rape and sexual harassment, with sentencing scheduled for June 2.
In December, the accused filmed the student and her partner on campus, threatening to release the footage to the dean and their families if they did not comply with his demands. He allegedly took the complainant to a secluded area where he blackmailed and assaulted her.
The case drew significant attention after the FIR was leaked online, revealing the identity of the victim.
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