Centre issues notice to Wikipedia for biased and inaccurate information

The Indian government has raised concerns with Wikipedia over alleged bias and inaccuracies in its content, questioning whether the platform should be viewed as a publisher rather than an intermediary, PTI reported quoting sources on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, in its communication, cited numerous complaints, noting that editorial control on Wikipedia appears to be in the hands of a small group. This could potentially challenge the platform’s claim of being a neutral, volunteer-based resource, according to officials, as per the report.
Justice Navin Chawla, who presided over the case, did not hold back. “I will impose contempt… It is not a question of Defendant No 1 [Wikipedia] not being an entity in India,” he stated, adding that Wikipedia’s presence in India could be jeopardized if it continued to avoid court orders. “We will close your business transactions here. We will ask the government to block Wikipedia… You’ve made this argument before. If you don’t want to comply with Indian regulations, then don’t operate in India.”
Wikipedia, which promotes itself as a free online encyclopedia, allows users to create and edit pages on a wide range of topics. However, it is currently facing legal challenges in India over alleged defamatory and inaccurate content on its platform, as per the report.
The case centers on edits to ANI’s Wikipedia page, which the agency claims were defamatory, describing ANI as a “propaganda tool” for the current government. In response, ANI filed a defamation suit and sought court intervention to compel Wikipedia to disclose the identities of three individuals linked to these edits.
ANI escalated the matter by filing a contempt application, asserting that Wikipedia ignored a prior court directive to share the requested user details.
In defence, Wikipedia requested additional time, arguing that its lack of a physical office in India complicated compliance. However, Justice Chawla rejected this argument, emphasizing that Wikipedia must respond promptly. He warned that if the platform continued to ignore the court’s order, contempt proceedings would follow.
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