Wikimedia Foundation, which operates the Wikipedia platform, has withdrawn its appeal before the Delhi High Court challenging a single judge's order that directed it to remove allegedly defamatory content from the Wikipedia page titled "Asian News International (ANI)."
The appeal was withdrawn following a recent order by the Supreme Court, which set aside a division bench's directive for the removal of the alleged defamatory and false content from ANI's Wikipedia page. The Supreme Court found the injunction order "very broadly worded" and difficult to enforce.
"The injunction order was very broadly worded and not capable of being implemented," the Supreme Court observed.
A division bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh and Justice Rajneesh Kumar Gupta dismissed Wikimedia's appeal as withdrawn and canceled the next hearing date. The Supreme Court, while allowing ANI to seek an injunction against specific content from the single judge of the High Court, enabled ANI to take fresh legal action.
Background of the Case
The dispute began when ANI filed a defamation suit against Wikimedia, alleging that its Wikipedia page included false and defamatory content questioning ANI's credibility and editorial policies. According to ANI, the page accused it of acting as a "propaganda tool for the central government" and spreading misinformation. ANI sought damages of ₹2 crores and requested the removal of the content.
Initially, the single judge of the Delhi High Court ordered Wikimedia to take down the alleged defamatory content and disclose the subscriber details of individuals who edited the page. Wikimedia contested this order, but the appeal was later withdrawn after both parties reached a consent order.
On April 2, 2025, Justice Subramonium Prasad of the Delhi High Court directed Wikimedia to remove the defamatory statements, ruling that the content was "ex-facie defamatory." The Court rejected Wikimedia's claim of being a neutral intermediary, emphasizing that it could not evade responsibility for defamatory content hosted on its platform.
In response to Wikimedia's challenge, the division bench on April 8, 2025, upheld the single judge’s direction to remove defamatory content but provided a partial stay on the order to remove the page's protection status. The bench also instructed Wikimedia to promptly act on any further defamatory content identified by ANI under the IT Rules, giving ANI the right to approach the court if Wikipedia failed to comply within 36 hours.
Wikimedia's withdrawal of its appeal marks the latest development in this ongoing legal battle over the alleged defamatory content published on ANI's Wikipedia page.
Title: Wikimedia Foundation v. ANI
