News agency files defamation suit against Wikipedia in High Court

New Delhi, July 9

A news agency, Asian News International (ANI), on Tuesday filed a defamation suit against Wikipedia before the Delhi High Court, alleging that the online encyclopedia had published defamatory content about the news agency with the malicious intent of damaging the reputation and discrediting its goodwill.

Justice Navin Chawla issued a notice to Wikipedia on ANI’s plea seeking interim relief and scheduled the matter for hearing on August 20.

ANI’s suit seeks to restrain Wikipedia from publishing the allegedly defamatory content on its page, remove the existing content, and claim Rs 2 crore in damages from the online platform.

The contentious description on Wikipedia states that ANI “has been criticised for having served as a propaganda tool for the incumbent Central Government, distributing materials from a vast network of fake news websites and misreporting events.”