Sentinel Digital Desk
Wikipedia is in a significant legal battle in India, which experts say could affect how the platform operates in the country. The case raises concerns over freedom and access to information.
India’s largest newswire, Asian News International (ANI), has filed a ₹2 crore lawsuit against the Wikimedia Foundation, which operates Wikipedia. ANI claims that Wikipedia published defamatory content against it.
ANI’s lawsuit centers on a paragraph in its Wikipedia description, which it claims falsely accuses ANI of being "a propaganda tool for the government" and "distributing content from fake news websites." ANI has demanded the removal of this content.
Wikipedia argues that its content is solely managed by volunteers worldwide, and the Wikimedia Foundation itself has no control over individual edits on the site.
In August, the Delhi High Court ordered Wikipedia to reveal the identities of those who made the alleged edits. Wikipedia has since agreed to share basic user information with the court under sealed protection.
The case is still ongoing, but experts warn that the outcome could influence access to unbiased information on Wikipedia and impact how freely volunteers contribute to the platform.