The Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit behind Wikipedia, has petitioned India’s Supreme Court to revoke a previous ruling that directed the platform to remove a page discussing its legal battle with a domestic news agency.

Wikimedia contends that enforcing the takedown order would set a dangerous precedent by having a "chilling effect on free speech" and limiting public access to information.

The dispute began when Indian news agency ANI filed a defamation lawsuit in the Delhi High Court last year, objecting to how it was described on Wikipedia. ANI alleged that its Wikipedia page portrayed it as a "propaganda tool" for the government and claimed that "true and correct" edits were being removed.

Though the case remains unresolved, the Delhi High Court ruled in October that another Wikipedia page discussing the lawsuit should be taken down, calling it “interference in court proceedings.”

Challenging that ruling, Wikimedia filed an appeal on January 15, arguing that the decision violates its right to host pages on judicial matters. The petition, which has not been made public, was reviewed by Reuters on Tuesday.

"The selective and permanent takedown ... creates a chilling effect on free speech and restricts access to knowledge," Wikimedia asserted in its filing.

The Supreme Court held its first hearing on Monday, acknowledging that the case raises concerns about media freedom and instructed ANI to submit a written response to Wikimedia’s challenge.

ANI’s legal counsel, Sidhant Kumar, declined to comment, citing the ongoing Supreme Court proceedings. Wikimedia also did not respond to queries.

Reuters, which owns a 26% stake in ANI, did not immediately issue a statement but has previously clarified that it does not influence ANI’s operations or editorial decisions.

This case marks the second major legal battle over content takedown orders in India involving a global tech platform. Twitter (now X) is also contesting government directives to block posts related to the 2021 farmer protests.

The Supreme Court is set to revisit the Wikimedia case on April 4.