In a significant turn of events, social activist Medha Patkar withdrew her petition from the Delhi High Court on Friday, which challenged her conviction in a criminal defamation case dating back to 2001. This decision followed shortly after her arrest by the Delhi Police, based on a non-bailable warrant issued due to non-compliance with her probation conditions.
The case originated from a press release issued by Patkar, a leader of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, on November 24, 2000. In the release, she claimed that Vinai Kumar Saxena, then president of the National Council of Civil Liberties and now Delhi lieutenant governor, had issued a cheque to the NBA that was subsequently dishonored. Saxena, who was instrumental in the Sardar Sarovar Project’s timely completion, filed the defamation lawsuit on January 18, 2001, asserting that Patkar’s accusations were false and damaged his reputation.
Metropolitan Magistrate Raghav Sharma convicted Patkar on May 24, 2024, determining her actions to be deliberate and malicious, aimed at tarnishing Saxena’s reputation. She was sentenced on July 1, 2024, to five months of imprisonment and fined ₹10 lakh.
On April 2, Sessions Judge Vishal Singh affirmed the lower court’s decision, and on April 8, granted Patkar probation, ordering her to pay ₹1 lakh in compensation and provide a personal bond of ₹25,000 by April 23. Failure to meet these conditions led to the issuance of the non-bailable warrant by Judge Singh.
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