Wikipedia has been embroiled in major legal problems in India that could affect the fate of the free online encyclopedia in the country.

According BBC, India’s largest news service has filed a 20 million rupees ($237,874; £183,012) lawsuit against the Wikimedia Foundation, which runs Wikipedia, for allegedly publishing defamatory content against it.

In the suit filed in the Delhi High Court, Asian News International (ANI) accused Wikipedia of being “a propaganda tool for the current (federal) government and distributing material from fake news websites,” and demanded that the article be removed. page.

Meanwhile, Wikipedia said the website’s content is managed by volunteers and the Foundation has no control over it.

Furthermore, in August 2024, the court ordered Wikipedia to reveal the forces behind the allegedly defamatory edits to the ANI page and warned that the website would be shut down if it did not comply with court orders.

Experts believe that the case is very important for the future of the website in India, and the outcome of the findings will directly affect people’s access to unbiased content on the platform.

Technology law expert Mishi Choudhary said, “It will tell us whether India lives in the Internet age, where information is truthful and freely accessible to all.”

Additionally, tech journalists and digital rights experts have expressed fear that the case will encourage other people and brands to police their pages on the website.