The Delhi High Court has ordered Wikipedia to remove certain statements from the page of the news agency ANI. The court said these comments were "defamatory and tarnish the professional reputation of" ANI. The statements had described ANI as a government "propaganda tool", which ANI said was damaging to its image.

Wikipedia is run by the Wikimedia Foundation, a U.S.-based organisation. This case is similar to another involving the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), which is also facing court cases in India about removing online content.

Last year, ANI filed a defamation case in the Delhi High Court, asking for these statements to be taken down. On April 3, 2025, the court agreed with ANI and ordered that the comments be removed. The Wikimedia Foundation has not yet responded to the court’s decision or said if it will appeal.

ANI’s lawyer, Sidhant Kumar, told Reuters that the ruling "affirms the fundamental right to reputation". ANI is also asking for ₹2 crore (about $240,000) in damages and wants an apology from Wikimedia.

Free speech concerns raised by Wikimedia

This case has raised concerns about free speech in India. Wikimedia says that removing content permanently can affect people’s right to free expression and limit access to information.

In October, the Delhi High Court had also asked Wikipedia to take down a page related to this case, calling it "interference in court proceedings". Wikimedia then took the matter to the Supreme Court in January. In its filing, Wikimedia said such actions "create a chilling effect on free speech".

This is not the only case of its kind. X is also challenging the Indian government’s orders to block posts related to the farmers’ protests in 2021.

 

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