Ex-IAS Amitabh Thakur goes to court for source based news by ANI, claims news agency published ‘false news’ about ECI; says can’t trust police
On 11th September, a Lucknow Court registered a complaint against news agency ANI’s Editor Smita Prakash on a petition claiming that the agency circulated false news attributed to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The petition was filed by ex-IAS officer Amitabh Thakur. Judicial Magistrate-III passed the order and the next hearing is scheduled for 26th September. According to a statement issued by Thakur on social media platform X, the court has called him to record his statement. चुनाव आयोग से जुड़े समाचारों के संबंध में गंभीर अनियमितता की @azadadhikarsena के @Amitabhthakur की शिकायत पर लखनऊ की एक अदालत द्वारा ANI की प्रधान संपादक सुश्री स्मिता प्रकाश के विरुद्ध परिवाद दर्ज.वादी को 26 सितंबर को बयान देने के आदेश. pic.twitter.com/Ic6tICt9Jt— Amitabh Thakur (Azad Adhikar Sena) (@Amitabhthakur) September 20, 2025 Court registers complaint In its order, the court said it is passing the order without entering into the merits and said, “Heard and perused the complaint and written submissions. At this stage, without entering into the merits of territorial jurisdiction or sufficiency of grounds, the complaint is found to be in order procedurally. In view of the provisions of Chapter XV BNSS, the complaint is liable to be registered as a complaint case…Let this case be registered as a Complaint Case. The Complainant is directed to appear on 26.09.2025 for recording of his statement under oath.” Thakur’s allegations against ANI In his complaint, Thakur claimed that ANI repeatedly attributed statements to the ECI which were not available on its official website or verified social media handles. Thakur argued that this amounted to ANI publishing unverified and misleading reports in the Commission’s name. Notably, news agencies like ANI often publish reports based on statements given by sources (named and unnamed) from different departments, including the Election Commission of India (ECI). Thakur specifically cited a post made by ANI on 1st August 2025 at 3:08 PM that carried a statement citing the Election Commission countering Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of vote theft. According to him, this was one of several examples where ANI published news without any official press note, press conference or verified release from the ECI. In his written submission, he stated, “…best of the applicant’s knowledge, many news have been relayed by ANI, being run by the OP Ms Smita Prakash, as being that of the ECI, without any official fact or evidence to back it up, completely on its own.” Why he avoided the police route In his appeal, Thakur claimed that he did not approach the police to file an FIR as he feared the police might be influenced in such a matter. Hence, he preferred to move the court directly and sought cognisance of his complaint against Prakash for alleged criminal malfeasance. Who is Amitabh Thakur? Amitabh Thakur, National President of Azad Adhikar Sena, is a retired 1992-batch IPS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre, a B-Tech graduate and an IIM Lucknow alumnus. Earlier, he accused Mulayam Singh Yadav of threatening him in 2015. Thakur is not new to controversies. In 2021, he was arrested on abetment to suicide charges. In August 2021, a woman and a man self-immolated outside the Supreme Court of India. The woman, who later died, said in a statement that former BSP MP Atul Rai had sexually harassed her and that officials including Thakur supported Rai in the matter. She accused Thakur of taking money from Rai to support him in the case. Thakur had also announced his intention to contest elections against UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
On 11th September, a Lucknow Court registered a complaint against news agency ANI’s Editor Smita Prakash on a petition claiming that the agency circulated false news attributed to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The petition was filed by ex-IAS officer Amitabh Thakur. Judicial Magistrate-III passed the order and the next hearing is scheduled for 26th September. According to a statement issued by Thakur on social media platform X, the court has called him to record his statement.
चुनाव आयोग से जुड़े समाचारों के संबंध में गंभीर अनियमितता की @azadadhikarsena के @Amitabhthakur की शिकायत पर लखनऊ की एक अदालत द्वारा ANI की प्रधान संपादक सुश्री स्मिता प्रकाश के विरुद्ध परिवाद दर्ज.
— Amitabh Thakur (Azad Adhikar Sena) (@Amitabhthakur) September 20, 2025
वादी को 26 सितंबर को बयान देने के आदेश. pic.twitter.com/Ic6tICt9Jt
Court registers complaint
In its order, the court said it is passing the order without entering into the merits and said, “Heard and perused the complaint and written submissions. At this stage, without entering into the merits of territorial jurisdiction or sufficiency of grounds, the complaint is found to be in order procedurally. In view of the provisions of Chapter XV BNSS, the complaint is liable to be registered as a complaint case…Let this case be registered as a Complaint Case. The Complainant is directed to appear on 26.09.2025 for recording of his statement under oath.”
Thakur’s allegations against ANI
In his complaint, Thakur claimed that ANI repeatedly attributed statements to the ECI which were not available on its official website or verified social media handles. Thakur argued that this amounted to ANI publishing unverified and misleading reports in the Commission’s name. Notably, news agencies like ANI often publish reports based on statements given by sources (named and unnamed) from different departments, including the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Thakur specifically cited a post made by ANI on 1st August 2025 at 3:08 PM that carried a statement citing the Election Commission countering Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of vote theft. According to him, this was one of several examples where ANI published news without any official press note, press conference or verified release from the ECI.
In his written submission, he stated, “…best of the applicant’s knowledge, many news have been relayed by ANI, being run by the OP Ms Smita Prakash, as being that of the ECI, without any official fact or evidence to back it up, completely on its own.”
Why he avoided the police route
In his appeal, Thakur claimed that he did not approach the police to file an FIR as he feared the police might be influenced in such a matter. Hence, he preferred to move the court directly and sought cognisance of his complaint against Prakash for alleged criminal malfeasance.
Who is Amitabh Thakur?
Amitabh Thakur, National President of Azad Adhikar Sena, is a retired 1992-batch IPS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre, a B-Tech graduate and an IIM Lucknow alumnus. Earlier, he accused Mulayam Singh Yadav of threatening him in 2015. Thakur is not new to controversies. In 2021, he was arrested on abetment to suicide charges.
In August 2021, a woman and a man self-immolated outside the Supreme Court of India. The woman, who later died, said in a statement that former BSP MP Atul Rai had sexually harassed her and that officials including Thakur supported Rai in the matter. She accused Thakur of taking money from Rai to support him in the case. Thakur had also announced his intention to contest elections against UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
