An Indian court has asked for some statements on Wikipedia about a news agency called ANI to be removed, saying they are defamatory. The group that runs Wikipedia Foundation, is thinking about challenging the decision. ANI wants compensation and an apology, and this situation is causing worries about free speech in India.
Wikimedia Faces Legal Battle Over Content in India
The Wikimedia Foundation, which runs Wikipedia, is now involved in a legal fight in India, following X, over content removal requests.
Last year, the news agency ANI took Wikimedia to court in Delhi High Court, claiming that a Wikipedia article wrongly called it a government ‘propaganda tool’ and damaged its reputation. ANI asked for the removal of these statements.
On Thursday, the court agreed, saying the statements were harmful and damaging to ANI’s reputation and should be taken down.
The Wikimedia Foundation has not yet commented on the ruling or whether it plans to challenge the court’s decision.
Legal Battle Between ANI and Wikimedia Continues
Reuters, which owns a 26% stake in ANI, did not respond to a request for comment. It has previously said it is not involved in ANI’s business practices or operations.
The court will continue to hear the case, in which ANI seeks damages of about 20 million rupees ($240,000) and an apology from Wikimedia.
The ruling “affirms the fundamental right to reputation,” a lawyer for ANI, Sidhant Kumar, told Reuters in a statement.
As a result of the dispute, U.S.-based Wikimedia has raised questions about free speech in the world’s largest democracy.
In October, the court ordered the takedown of a Wikipedia page related to the dispute, calling it “interference in court proceedings,” prompting Wikimedia to go to the Supreme Court in January.
Wikimedia said in its Supreme Court filing that “the selective and permanent takedown… creates a chilling effect on free speech, and restricts access to knowledge.”
X is also challenging government orders to block some posts about Indian farmers’ protests in 2021.
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