SC questions legality of Delhi HC's order directing Wikipedia to remove ANI defamation case page

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday questioned the Delhi High Court's order directing Wikipedia to remove details of a defamation case that news agency ANI filed, saying that the order ‘concerns press freedom’.

A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan said: ‘This concerns press freedom. If it is Wikipedia today, it could be someone else tomorrow’, The News Minute reported.

The case came about after Wikipedia page carried ‘factual record’ of a lawsuit that ANI filed against the platform.

The Delhi HC ordered Wikipedia to remove the page that carried the details of the suit in October 2024, saying that allowing judicial observations to be discussed could amount to contempt of court.

However, questioning the order, the SC stressed that courts and judges should be more ‘tolerant of criticism’.

Representing Wikipedia, advocate Kapil Sibal challenged the court’s ruling pointing out that the order lacked legal basis.

‘A defamation order has been issued without any actual finding of defamation,’ Kapil Sibal reportedly said alongside raising concerns about it impacting media and digital platforms.

ANI filed a defamation case against Wikipedia after edits on the page described the news agency as a ‘propaganda tool’ for the ruling government.

ANI filed contempt petition after Wikipedia failed to comply the Delhi HC’s direction to reveal identities of the editors behind putting together the page. This petition led the court to summon a representative from Wikipedia.

When Delhi HC learnt that cyclopedia created a separate page documenting ANI’s lawsuit, the court ordered it to remove a page.