The Delhi High Court came down hard on Wikipedia and issued a contempt of court notice. According to a report by Bar and Bench, the contempt of court notice was issued earlier today for non-compliance with a previous order. In a hearing related to defamation case filed by news agency ANI, Justice Navin Chawla told Wikipedia, “If you don't like India, please don't work in India...We will ask government to block your site.”
Wikipedia, as per the report, failed to disclose information about editors who had made certain controversial edits to ANI’s Wiki page. On the page, the edits made referred to ANI as a “propaganda tool” of the government of India.
Earlier, the Delhi High Court had asked Wikipedia to disclose details about the accounts who were behind the edits made on ANI’s page. The news agency told the court that the information had not been provided so far, which led to the contempt of court proceedings.
In its defence, Wikipedia explained that the delay had been caused as the platform didn’t have any 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 said in a stark warning.
ANI had requested the court to order Wikipedia to remove the controversial edits and also sought Rs 2 crore in damages.
The next hearing is scheduled for October and the Delhi High Court has ordered a Wikipedia representative to be present. Wikipedia had issued a statement in July saying that it is a “technology host” that doesn’t add or edit content on its platform.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
