The Supreme Court overturned a Delhi High Court order that asked Wikimedia to take down a Wikipedia page based on a defamation case filed by news agency ANI.
The High Court claimed the page was defamatory and used opinionated references, expecting higher standards from Wikipedia as an encyclopaedia.
The Supreme Court disagreed, saying the takedown order was too broad and not specific about what content was false or defamatory.
It asked ANI to file a fresh plea identifying the exact parts it found problematic.
Wikipedia is a user-driven platform protected by safe harbour laws, meaning it isn’t directly responsible for content created by users.
Wikipedia articles are created and moderated by global volunteers, with content disputes resolved through community discussion and special protections.
The Court’s decision supports the open and collaborative model of Wikipedia and helps protect the free flow of information online.
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