Delhi High Court Makes Tough Statement to Wikipedia in ANI Defamation Case

Wikipedia, run by the Wikimedia Foundation, is currently facing legal action in India. The court has warned Wikipedia against non-compliance with Indian laws and threatened to request the government to block the site, stating, “if you don’t like India, please don’t work in India.” The case was filed by ANI, claiming defamation by Wikipedia for allowing certain edits to a page pertaining to the news agency.

The alleged edit referred to ANI as “the propaganda tool” of the Indian government. The court had ordered Wikipedia to reveal details about three accounts that made the edits, but ANI has claimed that this information has not been disclosed. In its defense, Wikipedia explained to the court that the release of the information had been delayed due to pending submission of certain documents from its side, and cited its non-Indian base as a reason for the delay.

However, the judge seemed unimpressed, stating, “It is not a question of the defendant not being an entity in India. We will close your business transactions here. We will ask the government to block Wikipedia…

Earlier also you took this position.” The matter has been posted for October, and the court has ordered that a representative of the company be present. In July, the Wikimedia Foundation released a statement, identifying itself as a “technology host” and clarifying that it does not add to or edit content published on Wikipedia.

Founded in 2001, by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger, Wikipedia is run by the Wikimedia Foundation, which is based in San Francisco, United States.