The Delhi High Court on Tuesday reserved its order on activist Medha Patkar’s challenge to her conviction and punishment in a 23-year-old defamation case filed by Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena.
Justice Shalinder Kaur, while reserving the judgment, allowed both parties to file their written submissions by July 18.
The defamation case, initiated in 2000 by Saxena — then president of an NGO, National Council of Civil Liberties — pertains to a press release issued by Patkar on November 24, 2000. In it, she allegedly accused Saxena of “mortgaging” the people and resources of Gujarat to foreign interests. A magisterial court had ruled that the statement was not only defamatory but also “crafted to incite negative perceptions” about Saxena.
On July 1, 2024, the magisterial court sentenced the 70-year-old Narmada Bachao Andolan leader to five months of simple imprisonment and imposed a ₹10 lakh fine under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (defamation). Patkar subsequently challenged this ruling.
The sessions court, on April 2, upheld her conviction and dismissed her appeal, stating that there was “no substance” in her challenge. However, instead of sending her to jail, it released her on “probation of good conduct” upon furnishing a bond of ₹25,000 and directed her to pay ₹1 lakh as a fine on April 8.
Patkar then approached the High Court, which granted her interim bail on a personal bond of ₹25,000 and suspended the sentence.
Senior advocate Sanjay Parikh appeared for Patkar, while advocate Gajinder Kumar represented Saxena.
The court will now decide whether Patkar’s conviction should stand or be overturned, with a ruling expected after July 18.
