Delhi HC directs Wikipedia to remove page with defamatory content on ANI
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday ordered Wikimedia Foundation to remove the allegedly defamatory content and description of news agency Asian News International (ANI) on its Wikipedia page.
Justice Subramonium Prasad, who heard the petition, disposed of ANI’s plea for interim injunction asking for an order for the removal of the content and also to restrain Wikipedia from publishing the matter on the news agency's page on its platform.
In addition, ANI has filed a Rs 2 crore defamation suit against Wikimedia Foundation for posting the content on the page, which says that ANI ‘has been criticized 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 news agency has accused Wikimedia Foundation of publishing false and defamatory content with an intention of tarnishing the agency’s reputation and to discredit its goodwill.
The Delhi HC had directed Wikipedia in August 2024 to disclose to ANI the subscriber details of the three individuals available with it within two weeks.
Wikipedia, however, challenged the court order before the division bench, which later ordered that the page in question be taken down. The bench noted that adverse comments were made against the single judge on the page, saying it was prima facie contemptuous.
Wikipedia's petition in court was disposed of after both the parties entered into a consent order and resolved the matter. The division bench asked the single judge to proceed ahead with the defamation suit. In November, Justice Prasad had issued summons to three individuals who had allegedly edited the Wikipedia page of ANI.
Recently, the Supreme Court issued notice following Wikipedia's appeal against the order of the division bench to remove the Wikipedia page relating to the defamation dispute.
Senior advocate Jayant Mehta argued in the High Court on behalf of Wikipedia during the hearing on Wednesday, while advocate Sidhant Kumar represented ANI.
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Assam to lift all cases against Koch Rajbongshis in Foreigners' Tribunals: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Guwahati, Apr 4 (PTI): The Assam cabinet has decided to lift all cases pending against people from the Koch Rajbongshi community in the Foreigners' Tribunals, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday.
They will also no longer carry the tag of 'D' or doubtful voters, he said.
''There are 28,000 cases pending in different Foreigners' Tribunals in the state against people of the community. The cabinet has taken a historic decision of lifting the cases with immediate effect,'' Sarma said at a press conference here after the cabinet meeting.
The government believes that the Koch Rajbongshis are an indigenous community of the state and they are an inextricable part of ''our social and cultural fabric'', he asserted.
The people of this community are poor and have suffered a lot over the years, he said.
''They will no longer carry the tag of foreigners or ‘D’ voters,'' the CM said.
Foreigners Tribunals are quasi-judicial bodies, particularly in Assam, established to determine if a person residing in India is a "foreigner" as defined by the Foreigners Act of 1946, based on the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order of 1964.
These tribunals are designed to address matters related to citizenship and the presence of “foreigners” in India, specifically focusing on cases where someone is suspected of being an illegal immigrant.
There are 100 Foreigners’ Tribunals across Assam.
The Koch Rajbongshis have a sizeable presence in Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, and parts of Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan, and they demand Scheduled Tribe status.
