The Delhi High Court Thursday issued a contempt notice to Wikipedia following claims by ANI that the platform had failed to comply with previous orders to reveal the identities of subscribers who made allegedly defamatory edits to ANI’s Wikipedia page.

According to Bar and Bench, Justice Navin Chawla strongly criticised Wikipedia’s behaviour, and said, “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.”

The court ordered that an authorised representative from Wikipedia be present in person on October 25, when the next hearing is scheduled.

ANI has filed a defamation lawsuit against Wikipedia, accusing the platform of allowing edits on its page that referred to ANI as a “propaganda tool” for the current government.

The High Court had earlier issued summons to Wikipedia, instructing it to disclose details of three individuals who made these edits, Bar and Bench reported.

On Thursday, ANI filed a contempt application alleging non-compliance with the court’s order. Wikipedia’s legal team explained that their delay in response was due to the need to make specific submissions and the fact that Wikipedia is not based in India.

However, Justice Chawla rejected this argument, taken by Wikipedia in earlier matters as well, and warned that contempt proceedings would be initiated against the platform.

In July, ANI Media Private Limited filed a lawsuit against Wikipedia in the Delhi High Court, seeking to halt the publication of what it describes as defamatory content on its Wikipedia page and requesting the removal of such content. The news agency also sought Rs 2 crore in damages.

ANI’s lawsuit alleges that the Wikimedia Foundation and its officials deliberately published false and defamatory information to damage the agency’s reputation. The complaint further said that Wikimedia officials obstructed attempts to correct the erroneous content.

The Wikipedia page in question accused ANI of functioning as a propagandist for the government, claiming it disseminates information from dubious sources and inaccurately reports events.

The news agency 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,” the page said.