Lucknow: A court in Uttar Pradesh has registered a complaint case against ANI Editor Smita Prakash for allegedly publishing false news attributed to the Election Commission of India. The complaint was filed by former IPS officer Amitabh Thakur, who accused ANI of disseminating misleading statements in the name of the ECI without any official verification.
Thakur highlighted an incident from August when ANI posted on X, quoting the Election Commission in response to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of vote theft. According to the complaint, the post appeared at 3:08 p.m., while the ECI’s verified official statement was issued later at 5:59 p.m. in Hindi and 7:55 p.m. in English. The official statement described Gandhi’s claims as misleading and baseless.
The complaint alleges that ANI’s actions involved relaying false information and possibly obtaining insider details unlawfully. Thakur emphasized that such reporting could amount to cheating and causing wrongful loss under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. He has been directed to appear in court on September 26 to record his statement.
The case raises concerns over media accountability and the responsibilities of news agencies in verifying information before publication. The court will examine the complaint and determine whether ANI’s actions violated legal provisions governing truthful reporting and official communications.
