The Delhi High Court has issued a notice in contempt petition filed by ANI Media Private Limited, alleging non-compliance by Wikipedia with a court order directing the disclosure of information related to individuals who edited ANI’s Wikipedia page.
Counsel for Wikipedia submitted that delays occurred as the organization is not based in India, but the court took strong exception to this argument. During the proceedings, the court remarked, “If you don’t like India, please don’t work in India”, emphasizing its dissatisfaction with the delay.
Justice Chawla, presiding over the matter, suggested that the government consider blocking Wikipedia in India if non-compliance with judicial orders persists. The court further directed Wikipedia’s authorized representative to appear in person at the next hearing.
ANI had previously sought an injunction to prevent Wikipedia from publishing allegedly defamatory content on its page and demanded the removal of such content. The petition also includes a claim for damages amounting to Rs. 2 crores, alleging that the content misrepresented ANI’s role and criticized it for spreading misinformation and bias in favour of the central government.