The Maharashtra Cyber agency has filed a case against at least four Wikipedia editors for not removing "objectionable" content related to Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj from the online encyclopaedia, officials announced on Friday.
The agency had previously sent a notice to the California-based Wikimedia Foundation, which hosts Wikipedia, requesting the removal of the content. Wikimedia Foundation is a non-profit organisation.
The notice highlighted that the Wikipedia content in question was inaccurate and had the potential to cause a law-and-order situation in Maharashtra, as Sambhaji Maharaj, son of Maratha empire founder Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, holds significant reverence in India. The notice further stated that the information could incite unrest among his followers.
Due to the lack of a response from Wikimedia regarding the removal of the content, Maharashtra Cyber has proceeded to register a case against the editors under relevant sections of the IT Act. Wikipedia, an open-content online encyclopaedia, is collaboratively written and maintained by volunteers, with certain individuals authorised to upload content.
The objections have surfaced in the wake of the release of the Hindi film Chhaava, which is based on the life of Sambhaji Maharaj.
Meanwhile, the Vicky Kaushal-Rashmika Mandanna-Akshaye Khanna movie made Rs 219.75 crore in seven days. Chhaava was made tax-free in Madhya Pradesh and Goa.