ANI sues Wikipedia for ‘defamatory description’, seeks 2 crore in damages
New Delhi: Asian News International (ANI) has filed a law suit in Delhi High Court against Wikipedia for alleged defamatory content about the news agency. The agency has sought interim relief in the matter and Rupees two crores in damages, Deccan Herald reported on Tuesday July 9.
ANI’s plea has found fault with the description of the news agency in Wikipedia, which says that it “has been criticized for having served as a propaganda tool of the incumbent central government, distributing materials from a vast network of fake news websites and misreporting events”. The news agency wants the content be removed from the open encyclopedia’s page.
Advocate Sidhant Kumar, representing ANI, accused the Wikimedia Foundation of publishing false content about the news agency with an intention to harm its reputation and goodwill. Arguing that a platform for public utility cannot behave as a private sector, Kumar accused the Foundation of preventing any edits to the page on ANI by the news agency. Only Wikipedia’s own editors are allowed to make changes to the page now, he said.
ANI has strongly objected to the encyclopedia’s contents, based on articles published in other news outlets, which alleged that the news agency practiced “an aggressive model of journalism focused at maximum revenue output, where journalists were easily dispensable with. Multiple employees have accused ANI of not having any human resource management system and ill-treating their ex-employees”.
The Plea also objected to a detail in the Wikipedia page about the news agency falsely reporting that a Muslim man named Abdul Hilim, a member of an armed rebel group, was arrested by police for raping a Kuki woman during 2023 Manipur violence. It also accused Wikimedia Foundation of actively participating in removing the edits to the page to reverse the content.
Terming it “a pure case of defamation”, Justice Navin Chawla remarked that Wikipedia was entitled to its opinions and it would have to explain the matter before the court. A summons has been issued to Wikipedia demanding an explanation regarding the defamation suit. The next hearing of the case is scheduled for August 20.
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Kangana Ranaut sparks row: Claims Gandhi made 'Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram' the national anthem
New Delhi: A significant political controversy has erupted following the Modi government's decision to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a move that has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties. The row was further fueled by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, who, while defending the name change, erroneously claimed that Mahatma Gandhi had made the devotional song "Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram" India’s national anthem.
The central government has rebranded the flagship rural employment scheme from MGNREGA to the "Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission," abbreviated as VB-G RAM G. The removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the scheme has been termed an insult to the Father of the Nation by the Congress and other opposition parties.
When questioned by the media outside Parliament regarding the opposition's allegations, Mandi MP Kangana Ranaut defended the government's decision by invoking Mahatma Gandhi's devotion to Lord Ram.
"How is naming it 'Ram Ji' an insult to Gandhi ji?" Ranaut asked. "Mahatma Gandhi made 'Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram' the national anthem to organize the entire country. Therefore, this is an insult to Mahatma Gandhi? The government is fulfilling his dream by giving it the name of Ram."
Ranaut's claim regarding the national anthem was immediately seized upon by the opposition. Congress leader Supriya Shrinate shared the video of Ranaut’s statement on social media, tweeting sarcastically, "Come on brother, today we learned a new national anthem! The BJP is full of such gems."
Social media users also trolled the MP for the factual error. One user quipped, "Kangana ji forgot to mention that Bapu made this the national anthem after the country got independence in 2014," while another commented that the party finds people who "don't use their brains while forwarding WhatsApp messages."
Beyond the social media mockery, senior Congress leaders criticised the renaming on ideological grounds. Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot took to X (formerly Twitter) to condemn the move.
"The biggest irony is that Mahatma Gandhi was a lifelong devotee of Lord Ram and said 'Hey Ram' in his last moments," Gehlot wrote. "Today, the central government is making a despicable attempt to sideline Gandhi ji under the guise of the same 'Ram' name (VB-G RAM G), which is highly condemnable."
मनरेगा का नाम बदलने की केंद्र सरकार की कवायद महात्मा गांधी के प्रति उनकी ओछी मानसिकता और असम्मान का प्रमाण है। सरकार पहले 'पूज्य बापू' के नाम का शिगूफा छोड़ती है और फजीहत होने पर अब 'विकसित भारत-गारंटी फॉर रोजगार एंड आजीविका मिशन (VB-G RAM G)' जैसा नाम थोपना चाहती है। बार-बार नाम…
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) December 15, 2025
गांधी जी ने ‘रघुपति राघव राजा राम’ को लेकर नेशनल एंथम बनाया था
— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) December 16, 2025
BJP MP कंगना रनौत
चलो भाई आज नया नेशनल एंथम भी पता चला है!
BJP में एक से एक शिरोमणि भरे पड़े हैं 😂🤣 pic.twitter.com/9DvyV5xLb1
