Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Newslaundry
Newslaundry
National
Tanishka Sodhi

Explained: What’s ANI vs Wikipedia legal battle all about?

ANI has lodged a lawsuit of Rs 2 crore against US-based non-profit Wikimedia Foundation, which runs Wikipedia, for “allowing misleading, negative, and defamatory” edits on their Wikipedia page.   

The second paragraph of Wikipedia’s page on ANI says that the news agency has been “accused of having served as a propaganda tool for the incumbent central government, distributing materials from a vast network of fake news websites, and misreporting events on multiple occasions”. ANI, meanwhile, has alleged that the edit has been done with the “malicious intent” to tarnish its reputation.

In a hearing of the case earlier this month, Justice Navin Chawla of the Delhi High Court asked the foundation to disclose information about the editors who made the edits and also remarked that if Wikipedia doesn’t like India, they should not work here.

But does Wikipedia have control over who writes and edits on its pages? Can absolutely anyone write anything? How does it work? Why did Justice Chawla make such a strong statement? Is it likely that Wikipedia will be banned in India? What is happening in the case?

Watch. 

Small teams can do great things. All it takes is a subscription. Subscribe now and power Newslaundry’s work.  

It will soon be a year since Hamas’ October 7 attack. Contribute to our new NL Sena project to help us bring an exclusive mini-series that examines the multiple dimensions of the Israel-Gaza war from ground zero.

Newslaundry is a reader-supported, ad-free, independent news outlet based out of New Delhi. Support their journalism, here.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.