The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued a contempt of court notice to Wikipedia, following its failure to disclose information about edits made to an entry concerning news agency ANI. The court admonished Wikipedia for its non-compliance with Indian laws, stating, “If you don’t like India, please don’t operate here… we will request the government to block your site.”
The case involves a defamation lawsuit filed by ANI against Wikipedia for allowing edits to a page describing the agency as a “propaganda tool” of the Indian government. The court had previously ordered Wikipedia to disclose details about three accounts involved in these edits. ANI claimed that Wikipedia has not yet provided this information.
Wikipedia argued that the delay in releasing the information was due to pending documentation and its status as a non-Indian entity. However, Justice Navin Chawla was not convinced by this explanation.
According to legal news website Bar and Bench, the judge remarked, “It is not a question of the defendant not being based in India. We will block your business transactions here. We will ask the government to restrict Wikipedia’s access.”
The court has scheduled the next hearing for October, and has mandated that a representative from Wikipedia be present.
In response to the case, the Wikimedia Foundation, which oversees Wikipedia, has stated that it does not edit content itself but relies on its global community of volunteer editors. The Foundation described itself as merely a “technology host.”
ANI is seeking damages of ₹2 crore from Wikipedia and has also requested an injunction to remove the disputed edits and prevent similar content from being published in the future.