'If you don't like India, please don't work in India': Delhi High Court raps Wikipedia in ANI defamation case
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued a contempt of court notice to Wikipedia after ANI alleged that the platform did not comply with orders to provide information about subscribers who made purportedly defamatory edits on the news agency’s Wikipedia page, reported Bar and Bench.
The court warned Wikipedia against non-compliance with Indian laws, declaring "if you don't like India, please don't work in India... we will ask government to block your site."
The court was hearing a defamation case filed by ANI against Wikipedia for allowing certain edits to a page containing information about the news agency. The edit described ANI as "the propaganda tool" of the Indian government.
"If you don't like India, please don't work in India... We will ask government to block Wikipedia in India."
— Bar and Bench (@barandbench) September 5, 2024
Delhi High Court issues contempt of court notice to Wikipedia for not complying with the Court's order directing it to disclose info about people who made edits on ANI's… pic.twitter.com/fB3SFjN3pO
The court had previously ordered Wikipedia to disclose details of three accounts involved in making these edits.
However, ANI claimed that the platform had not provided the requested information.
ANI also pointed out that Wikipedia had not stated whether the three individuals named in the case were editors.
According to Bar and Bench, the judge said, "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."
"If you don't like India, please don't work in India," he said.
The court will hear the case next in October, and has ordered that a representative of the Wikimedia Foundation be present.
In July, the Wikimedia Foundation issued a statement regarding the case filed by ANI, identifying itself as a "technology host" and clarifying that it does not create or modify content on Wikipedia.
This content is "determined by its global community of volunteer editors... who compile and share information on notable subjects", the Foundation said.
In its defamation suit, ANI has filed a damages claim of Rs 2 crore against Wikipedia and has also sought for a directive to remove the edits and prevent similar content from being published in the future.
Founded in 2001 by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger, Wikipedia is operated by the Wikimedia Foundation, which is headquartered in San Francisco, USA.
