Activist Medha Patkar arrested in 24-year-old VK Saxena defamation case
Within 48 hours of a non-bailable warrant being issued by the Saket District Court, Delhi Police on Friday arrested Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) activist Medha Patkar in a 24-year-old defamation case filed by the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) V K Saxena.On Thursday, the Delhi court issued a non-bailable warrant against Patkar for failing to pay the fine imposed on her in the contempt of court case linked to Saxena and for disobeying the court's order to appear before it.advertisementAdditional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Vishal Singh had ordered Medha Patkar to appear before the court on May 3, to review the report on the non-bailable warrant and any further action.
The case pertains to Patkar's remarks on Saxena back in 2000, when she had allegedly called him a "coward" and alleged that he was involved in hawala transactions.The current L-G of Delhi was then heading an NGO in Gujarat. While Saxena's NGO had openly supported the Gujarat government's Sardar Sarovar Project, the NBA was leading a movement against it.However, Patkar, in a press release dated November 25, 2000, alleged that Saxena was secretly supporting NBA's protests against the Gujarat government project. She further claimed the Saxena had forwarded a check to NBA, which bounced.Last year in May, a magistrate court observed that Patkar's remarks were defamatory in nature and convicted the activist, sentencing her to three months in jail. The court further ordered her to pay Rs 10 lakh in compensation to the complainant, VK Saxena.advertisementTaking note of her old age and worsening health, ASJ Singh suspended the sentence and granted her bail on July 29, 2024. However, the order to pay Rs 10 lakh in compensation and submit a probation bond remained in effect.ASJ Vishal Singh had granted one-year probation to Patkar in connection with the case on April 8.On Wednesday, Patkar filed an application, requesting the proceedings against her to be paused, citing a pending appeal before the High Court.Dismissing Patkar's prayer, the Delhi court said there was no such directive given by the High Court in its April 22 order and was still required to comply with the April 8 order of the sessions court. The Delhi court further noted that it was a deliberate attempt by Patkar to deceive the court.Instead of appearing before court and complying with the April 8 order, Patkar remained absent from the proceedings while refusing to submit the amount.
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