The verdict was delivered on Thursday by Judicial Magistrate First Class Raghav Sharma, who noted that the complainant had failed to substantiate her allegations. “The charges have not been proved,” the court held, ending the decades-long proceedings.
The case dates back to the year 2000, when Patkar filed a defamation complaint against Saxena, accusing him of publishing advertisements that allegedly tarnished her image and that of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, the grassroots movement she led against large-scale dam construction in the Narmada valley.
At the time, Saxena was the head of Ahmedabad-based NGO Council for Civil Liberties, which had been sharply critical of Patkar’s activism. The case stemmed from advertisements issued by the organisation that Patkar claimed were defamatory.
In response, Saxena filed two criminal defamation cases against Patkar in 2001, alleging that she had made defamatory remarks against him during a television appearance and had issued a press statement with derogatory content.
In March 2025, the court had rejected an application by Patkar to summon additional witnesses, calling it a “deliberate attempt to delay the trial” rather than a move rooted in genuine need. That rejection had effectively cleared the way for final arguments in the case, which has now culminated in Saxena’s acquittal.
As of now, neither Patkar nor Saxena have issued a public statement in response to the verdict. The acquittal is likely to be viewed as a legal vindication for the Lieutenant Governor, who has maintained that his actions were in the public interest.
