The Delhi High Court issued a stark ultimatum to Wikipedia on Thursday, threatening to block the online encyclopaedia in India and issuing a contempt of court notice for non-compliance with a previous order. Justice Navin Chawla delivered the warning during a hearing related to a defamation case filed by news agency ANI against Wikipedia.
“If you don’t like India, please don’t work in India…We will ask government to block your site,” Justice Chawla declared, as reported by legal news website Bar and Bench. The court’s fury was provoked by Wikipedia’s alleged failure to disclose information about editors who made controversial changes to ANI’s Wikipedia page.
The case stems from edits referring to ANI as a “propaganda tool” for the Indian government. Previously, the court had directed Wikipedia to reveal details about three accounts responsible for these edits. ANI claimed in court that this information had not been provided, leading to the contempt proceedings.
Bar and Bench reported that Justice Chawla dismissed Wikipedia’s explanation for the delay, which cited the platform’s lack of physical presence in India. “It is not a question of the defendant not being an entity in India. We will close your business transactions here,” the judge warned.
ANI is seeking ₹2 crore in damages and has requested the court to order the removal of the contentious edits and prevent similar content in the future.
In July, the Wikimedia Foundation, which operates Wikipedia, released a statement identifying itself as a “technology host” that does not directly add or edit content on the platform. However, this distinction did not appear to sway the court’s opinion.
“Earlier also you took this position,” Justice Chawla noted, referring to similar arguments made by Wikipedia in previous cases, according to Bar and Bench.
The court has scheduled the next hearing for October and ordered a Wikipedia representative to be present.
“If you don’t like India, please don’t work in India…We will ask government to block your site,” Justice Chawla declared, as reported by legal news website Bar and Bench. The court’s fury was provoked by Wikipedia’s alleged failure to disclose information about editors who made controversial changes to ANI’s Wikipedia page.
The case stems from edits referring to ANI as a “propaganda tool” for the Indian government. Previously, the court had directed Wikipedia to reveal details about three accounts responsible for these edits. ANI claimed in court that this information had not been provided, leading to the contempt proceedings.
Bar and Bench reported that Justice Chawla dismissed Wikipedia’s explanation for the delay, which cited the platform’s lack of physical presence in India. “It is not a question of the defendant not being an entity in India. We will close your business transactions here,” the judge warned.
ANI is seeking ₹2 crore in damages and has requested the court to order the removal of the contentious edits and prevent similar content in the future.
In July, the Wikimedia Foundation, which operates Wikipedia, released a statement identifying itself as a “technology host” that does not directly add or edit content on the platform. However, this distinction did not appear to sway the court’s opinion.
“Earlier also you took this position,” Justice Chawla noted, referring to similar arguments made by Wikipedia in previous cases, according to Bar and Bench.
The court has scheduled the next hearing for October and ordered a Wikipedia representative to be present.