The Delhi High Court has issued a contempt of court notice to Wikipedia and warned that it may request the government to block the platform in India, according to Bar and Bench.
This action follows claims by Asian News International that Wikipedia failed to comply with court orders to reveal information about users who posted allegedly defamatory content about the news agency.
Wikipedia is a free online collaborative encyclopedia maintained by volunteers, is operated by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation, based in the United States.
The platform’s legal representative explained that the delay in appearing before the court was due to Wikipedia’s non-Indian base, as reported by Live Law.
Justice Navin Chawla responded, “It is not a question of defendant no. 1 [Wikipedia] not being an entity in India. We will suspend your business transactions here. We will request the government to block Wikipedia… You have previously used this argument. If you do not wish to operate in India, then do not do so.”
