The Supreme Court today issued a notice to news agency ANI while hearing a plea filed by Wikipedia. Wikipedia’s parent organisation, Wikimedia Foundation, had approached the apex court after the Delhi High Court last year ordered it to take down a specific page on ANI’s defamation case against Wikipedia.
“Ultimately this is media,” Bar and Bench quoted the Supreme Court as saying. “The question is about freedom of media…tomorrow it might be you.” The court also said it was “concerned with the legality and validity of the directions issued by the high court”.
ANI sued Wikipedia for defamation last year for “allowing misleading, negative and defamatory” edits to ANI’s Wikipedia page. The Wikipedia page had referred to ANI as the central government’s “propaganda tool”.
In October, the Delhi High Court described Wikipedia’s model as “dangerous”, complaining that “anyone can edit a page”. It also ordered the take down of a Wikipedia page titled “Asian News International vs. Wikimedia Foundation” which contains details on the ongoing case.
Wikipedia took the page down but also moved the Supreme Court. This is how the page looks now.
Additionally, the Supreme Court today asked why the high court was “so touchy”, Bar and Bench reported. It said court proceedings are “often subject to criticism on social media” and courts “should not ask the same to be taken down merely because it is critical of the court”.
The high court had also ordered that Wikipedia disclose information about three people who made edits to ANI’s Wikipedia page. The Wikimedia Foundation appealed against the disclosure order and eventually resolved the matter through a ‘consent order’ with ANI.
But does Wikipedia have control over who writes and edits on its pages? How does it work? Why has the court made such strong remarks? Watch our explainer to understand the case.
And if you’re wondering about ANI’s pushback against being called ‘propaganda’, we’ve got the whole story. Click here to read about ANI’s business of news and how it signs ‘PR’ contracts with governments.
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