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Activist Medha Patkar released hours after arrest in defamation case

Social activist Medha Patkar was released on Friday after directions from a Delhi court. She was released at 4:30 pm, just hours after her arrest in connection with a defamation case filed by Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena. Additional Sessions Judge Vipin Kharb directed her release after she deposited the bail bond as directed by the court. Saxena's counsel, however, opposed the acceptance of her bail bond by the Court, stating that it was due to coercive action that she was furnishing the bail bond rather than voluntarily and therefore it should not be accepted. Earlier this month, Additional Sessions Judge Vishal Singh had convicted the 70-year-old activist and granted her probation on the condition of good conduct, paired with a ₹1 lakh fine. However, her absence from the hearing on April 23 and failure to meet the court's directives led to the issuance of a non-bailable warrant against her. What is the case against her? The defamation case dates back to the year 2000 and stems from remarks allegedly made by Medha Patkar, in which she referred to Vinai Kumar Saxena as a 'coward' and accused him of involvement in hawala transactions and of acting against the interests of the people of Gujarat. In May 2024, a magistrate held that her remarks were defamatory and aimed at damaging Saxena's public image. Patkar, a social activist who led the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), has long opposed large-scale infrastructure projects such as the Sardar Sarovar Dam, arguing that they result in the displacement of tribal communities and the destruction of forest and agricultural land. Over the years, she has become widely known for her peaceful protests, including arrests, physical assaults, and prolonged hunger strikes, in her struggle against forced displacement and environmental harm.