The Delhi High Court has issued an interim order directing the Wikimedia Foundation to remove defamatory content from the Wikipedia page of news agency ANI. The order follows a lawsuit filed by ANI, which alleged that Wikipedia allowed edits portraying it as a “propaganda tool” for the Central government. Justice Subramonium Prasad, presiding over the case, granted certain interim reliefs and stated that the detailed order would be made available on the court’s website by the evening. The court had earlier reserved its decision in December 2024, indicating it would assess the news sources cited in the allegedly defamatory edits before making a ruling.
The court had previously summoned Wikipedia in July 2024, instructing it to disclose the identities of three users responsible for the controversial edits. ANI later accused Wikipedia of non-compliance with this directive, prompting the court to issue a contempt notice. Wikimedia Foundation challenged the ruling before a Division Bench, and a compromise was reached, allowing the accused users’ identities to remain protected while ensuring they were notified about the case. The court also debated whether it could intervene at an interim stage, questioning if the cited sources were defamatory enough to warrant immediate action.
This legal battle underscores the broader challenges of managing and moderating content on collaborative online platforms like Wikipedia. The case has drawn attention to the accountability of digital platforms when handling potentially defamatory content, as well as the complexities of legal intervention in user-generated content. The High Court’s ruling is a significant development in ANI’s ongoing dispute with Wikimedia Foundation, setting a precedent for similar cases in India.
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