A Delhi court on Wednesday upheld the conviction of Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar in a defamation case that dates back over two decades. The case was initially filed by Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor, V K Saxena, during his tenure as the president of the National Council of Civil Liberties in Gujarat. Patkar’s plea challenging her conviction was dismissed by Additional Sessions Judge Vishal Singh, confirming the continuation of legal proceedings against her with a sentencing hearing scheduled for April 8.
The defamation suit originated from a press release issued by Patkar on November 24, 2000, in which she accused Saxena of engaging in “cowardly” behavior and participating in hawala transactions. Further, she alleged that Saxena was “mortgaging” the people of Gujarat and their resources to foreign interests. These statements were determined by the magisterial court to be defamatory in nature, crafted specifically to incite negative perceptions of Saxena.
In May of the previous year, the magisterial court highlighted that Patkar’s allegations were not only defamatory but directly attacked Saxena’s integrity and his public service record. The court’s decision led to a sentence of five months of simple imprisonment for Patkar, handed down on July 1, 2024, after which she appealed the decision at the sessions court level.
The recent ruling dismisses Patkar’s challenge to her conviction, moving the case forward to the sentencing phase. The detailed order from the sessions court is still pending, which will provide further insights into the rationale behind upholding the initial verdict.
