New Delhi, April 8 (H.S.): The division bench of the Delhi High Court has upheld the order of a single bench directing Wikipedia to remove the portion of edited information that serves as a propaganda tool regarding a news agency. The bench, headed by Justice Pratibha Singh, has lifted the stay imposed by the single bench on any edits made to the page of the relevant news agency.

The division bench stated that Wikipedia will remove the defamatory content related to the news agency. The court mentioned that if similar defamatory content about the relevant news agency is edited again and the news agency files any complaint regarding it, Wikipedia will take immediate action in accordance with the law.

On April 2, Justice Subramonium Prasad's single bench had directed Wikipedia to remove the portion that edits information portraying the news agency as a propaganda tool. On September 5, 2024, the single bench issued a notice for contempt of court against Wikipedia. The single bench stated that if court orders are not complied with in the future, we will deal with it strictly. The news agency alleged that information about them on the Wikipedia website claimed that they are a propaganda tool of the government. In this regard, the High Court had ordered Wikipedia to disclose the user who wrote this information, but Wikipedia did not disclose the user.

In July 2024, the High Court directed Wikipedia to reveal the identity of a user editing a news agency's details. The court questioned how the news agency could respond in a petition without this information. Wikipedia mentioned it would inform the agency without disclosing the user's identity, raising concerns over user privacy while ensuring the court receives necessary information.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar