In a recent development, the Delhi High Court has instructed a trial court to reschedule the ongoing defamation trial involving activist Medha Patkar and Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena to a date after May 20. This decision comes in light of Patkar’s request to introduce a new witness, which is set to be considered by the high court on the same day.
The defamation case, which has been ongoing since 2000, stems from allegations against Saxena, who, during his tenure as the head of an NGO in Gujarat, is accused of publishing a defamatory advertisement against Patkar. The activist, renowned for her leadership in the Narmada Bachao Andolan, has been entangled in legal battles with Saxena for over two decades.
Justice Shalinder Kaur of the Delhi High Court has mandated that the trial court, which was poised to hear final arguments on April 19, postpone these proceedings. This direction ensures that Patkar’s plea to evaluate a potential new witness can be addressed without the risk of rendering the high court’s decision ineffective.
During the session, the high court was informed that Patkar had initially moved an application on February 17, aiming to include Nandita Narain as an additional witness, citing her relevance to the case. However, this request was denied by the trial court on March 18, stating that allowing new witnesses at this stage could indefinitely prolong the trial, which has already been pending for 24 years.
Saxena’s defense argued that the delay in filing the witness application was a tactic to stall the judicial process, ultimately defeating the ends of justice. The legal strife between Patkar and Saxena includes multiple lawsuits filed by both parties, including two by Saxena in 2001, accusing Patkar of derogatory remarks during a television broadcast and in a press statement.
In a related case, a Delhi court had previously sentenced Patkar to five months’ simple imprisonment on July 1, 2024, further complicating the legal entanglements between the two prominent figures.
