News Mania Desk/Agnibeena Ghosh/9th July 2024
ANI Media Private Limited has taken legal action against Wikipedia by filing a defamation suit in the Delhi High Court, asserting that the online encyclopedia has published defamatory content about the news agency. The case has been taken up by Justice Navin Chawla, who issued a notice on ANI’s request for interim relief and scheduled the next hearing for August 20.
ANI’s primary request is for Wikipedia to be restrained from publishing what it claims to be defamatory content on its page. Additionally, ANI is seeking the removal of the offending content and has demanded Rs. 2 crores in damages from Wikipedia.
The contentious Wikipedia page suggests that ANI “has been criticized for serving as a propaganda tool for the incumbent central government, distributing materials from a vast network of fake news websites, and misreporting events.” This description has been deemed defamatory by ANI.
Representing ANI, Advocate Sidhanth Kumar argued that the defamatory content on Wikipedia is damaging to the news agency’s reputation. He emphasized that Wikipedia, as a public utility platform, should not operate with the latitude of a private entity, and criticized its decision to close ANI’s page for editing by the news agency itself, allowing only Wikipedia editors to make changes.
Justice Chawla acknowledged the gravity of the defamation claim but remarked that Wikipedia is entitled to hold opinions and will need to justify its actions in court. The Justice commented, “At the end of the day, they are entitled to have opinions…They’ll come and explain. It’s a pure case of defamation.”
ANI’s lawsuit against the Wikimedia Foundation and its officials asserts that they have published false and defamatory content with the intent to tarnish ANI’s reputation. The lawsuit lists several specific publications on the Wikipedia page that ANI finds particularly egregious, including accusations that ANI practices aggressive journalism focused solely on revenue, mistreats its employees, and falsely implicated Muslims in the sexual assault and rape of two Kuki women during the 2023 Manipur violence.
ANI alleges that Wikimedia’s officials have actively participated in editing the page to maintain the defamatory content, which ANI argues should strip Wikimedia of its safe-harbour protection under section 79(1) of the Information Technology Act, thereby making it liable for hosting and publishing the defamatory material.
The outcome of this high-profile defamation suit will be closely watched, as it involves significant questions about the responsibilities and liabilities of online platforms in moderating content and managing public perceptions.
