India: Delhi High Court ordered Wikimedia Foundation to remove content on Wikipedia commenting on ongoing legal proceedings in lawsuit (CS(OS) No. 524/2024)

On 16 October 2024, the Delhi High Court issued an order directing the Wikimedia Foundation to take down pages on Wikipedia that commented on ongoing legal proceedings concerning ANI Media Pvt. Ltd. The Court held that the content in question, including criticism of the earlier order requiring disclosure of Wikipedia editors, constituted a prima facie violation of the sub judice principle and amounted to interference in court proceedings. The order emphasised that such commentary by a party to the case, particularly one managing the platform where the content appeared, could border on contempt of court. Although Wikimedia’s counsel stated that the Foundation did not author or control the content, they agreed to comply with the order to remove the pages within 36 hours.