Justice Subramonium Prasad issued the order following a Division Bench decision allowing Wikipedia to serve summons without publicly revealing the users’ identities.
NEW DELHI: On Thursday(14th Nov), the Delhi High Court issued summons to individuals accused of making defamatory edits on the Wikipedia page of Asian News International (ANI).
Justice Subramonium Prasad issued the order following a Division Bench decision allowing Wikipedia to serve summons without publicly revealing the users’ identities.
Previously, Wikipedia had appealed against a single-judge directive requiring it to disclose the identities of the alleged defamers.
In response, Wikipedia agreed to share user information with the court and volunteered to serve ANI’s defamation suit summons on the involved users. This agreement led the Division Bench to resolve the appeal based on a consent order between Wikipedia and ANI.
ANI’s counsel, Advocate Sidhant Kumar, updated the single-judge bench about the Division Bench’s recent developments. Justice Prasad then instructed the High Court Registry to follow the consent order’s requirements, issuing summons to defendants 2-4 via all permissible methods, including email addresses provided by Wikipedia in a sealed cover.
The court mandated that Wikipedia serve the summons within four days, and the case is scheduled for its next hearing on December 16.
Earlier, The Delhi High Court permitted Wikipedia to serve summons on individuals accused of making allegedly defamatory edits on the Wikipedia page for Asian News International (ANI).
This decision came from a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, which addressed an appeal by Wikipedia against an earlier single-judge ruling. That initial order had directed Wikipedia to reveal the identities of the users responsible for the contentious edits.
Last month, Wikipedia had sought to protect the privacy of its users by agreeing to share user information with the Court. In addition, it volunteered to serve ANI’s defamation summons directly to these users.
BRIEF FACTS
ANI had initially filed a defamation suit, alleging Wikipedia allowed defamatory edits on its page and requested their removal. In July, the court summoned Wikipedia, ordering it to disclose information about three users involved in these edits.
After ANI complained about Wikipedia’s non-compliance, Justice Navin Chawla expressed strong disapproval, issuing a contempt notice and summoning a Wikipedia representative to appear on October 25.
However, Wikipedia’s challenge to these directives led to an agreement with ANI before the Division Bench, allowing Wikipedia to notify the users while protecting their identities.
Case Title: Wikimedia Foundation Inc v. ANI Media Private Limited & Ors
