India: Asian News International filed lawsuit against Wikimedia Foundation over alleged defamatory content on Wikipedia (CS(OS) No. 524/2024)

On 9 July 2024, Asian News International Media filed a defamation lawsuit in the Delhi High Court against the Wikimedia Foundation, asserting that its Wikipedia page contained incorrect and harmful assertions about the news agency. The lawsuit alleged that Wikipedia circulated content from unreliable sources and inaccurately reported events. The lawsuit sought an injunction to prevent the continued publication of the content on Wikipedia, and INR 2 crores in damages. The company has also argued that Wikipedia’s alleged involvement in editing and managing the content removes its intermediary status and associated legal protections.