Fall in line or will get you blocked: HC to Wikipedia

Upset over its failure to disclose information about those who made edits on the entry page of news agency Asian News International (ANI), the Delhi High Court on Thursday warned Wikipedia, a free online encyclopaedia, that it can ask the government to block it.

“If you don’t like India, please don’t work in India... we will ask the government to block your site,” a Bench of Justice Navin Chawla told Wikipedia, directing it to reveal details of three accounts that made the edits. The high court’s outburst came during the hearing of ANI’s defamation suit accusing Wikipedia of allowing certain edits to a page with information that described the news agency as the “propaganda tool” of the BJP-led NDA government.

As ANI counsel Sidhant Kumar said the information sought by the court had not been revealed, as ordered by the high court on August 20, Justice Chawla warned Wikipedia against non-compliance with Indian laws and posted the matter for further hearing on October 25.

The counsel for Wikipedia, which allows voluntary creation of entry pages and editing around the world, acting as a free online source, said the release of the information had been delayed pending submission of certain documents from its side because Wikipedia was not based in India.

“I will impose contempt… It is not a question of Defendant No. 1 [Wikipedia] not being an entity in India. We will close your business transactions here. We will ask the government to block Wikipedia… Earlier also, you people have taken this argument. If you don’t like India, please don’t work in India,” Justice Chawla said.