Excerpt from Hindustantimes Article, Published on Sep 05, 2024.
The Delhi High Court on Thursday reprimanded Wikipedia for failing to comply with an earlier court directive regarding the disclosure of information related to editors of a page concerning the news agency Asian News International (ANI). The court expressed serious concern over the platform’s non-compliance with its August 20 order, which required Wikipedia to provide details of three individuals who had made edits to ANI’s Wikipedia page.
During the hearing, a bench led by Justice Navin Chawla issued a stern warning to the online platform. Wikipedia’s legal counsel argued that the platform needed time to present submissions and cited the entity’s lack of physical presence in India as a reason for the delay. However, Justice Chawla was not swayed by the argument and cautioned Wikipedia that failure to comply could lead to severe consequences.
“I will impose contempt… It is not a question of Wikipedia not being an entity in India. We will close your business transactions here. We will ask the government to block Wikipedia,” Justice Chawla warned, emphasizing that similar excuses had been previously dismissed by the court. The case stems from ANI’s lawsuit, which sought to prevent Wikipedia from hosting allegedly defamatory content about the news agency. ANI also sought the removal of the contentious content and the identification of the individuals who made the edits.
The court has summoned Wikipedia’s authorized representative to appear in person on October 25, signaling the seriousness of the situation. The next hearing will further address Wikipedia’s compliance with the August 20 order. This development highlights growing tensions between global online platforms and Indian judicial oversight, particularly concerning data privacy and content moderation.
To delve deeper into this topic, please read the full article on Hindustantimes.
