Medha Patkar Detained Over Defamation Case by Delhi L-G

New Delhi, April 25 (NationPress) Activist Medha Patkar was taken into custody here on Friday following the issuance of a non-bailable warrant against her in a defamation lawsuit initiated by Delhi Lt Governor V.K. Saxena.

The Delhi Police apprehended her in the morning, and she is scheduled to appear before the court later today.

A court session on Wednesday resulted in a non-bailable warrant (NBW) being issued against Patkar due to her failure to appear and comply with the sentence order linked to a long-standing defamation case initiated by Delhi L-G Saxena. The court noted that she was intentionally disregarding its sentencing order, which required her to submit probation bonds and a fine of Rs one lakh in connection with the 2001 defamation case.

Additional sessions judge Vishal Singh remarked that instead of attending court to comply with the sentencing from April 8, the 70-year-old social activist chose to remain absent and willfully neglected to fulfill the order to benefit from probation, which was contingent upon providing the compensation amount.

“The intent of convict Medha Patkar is clear; she is consciously defying the Court order, avoiding her court appearance, and eluding the terms of the sentence imposed on her,” stated an order from Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Vishal Singh of the Saket Court.

The court noted that Patkar failed to appear and deliberately did not comply with the sentence order. “The Court has no choice but to mandate the production of convict Medha Patkar through a coercive measure. Issue NBW (non-bailable warrant) against convict Medha Patkar, via the Commissioner of Police, Delhi Police, for the next hearing,” the judge directed.

ASJ Singh further warned that if the convict does not adhere to the terms of the sentence order by the next hearing, the court would be compelled to reassess the lenient sentence and alter the order. The court remarked that Patkar’s request for adjournment was trivial and mischievous, intended only to mislead the court.

On April 8, Patkar, a prominent figure in the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), was granted probation for good conduct for one year, contingent upon the prior payment of a compensation amount of Rs 1 lakh to be awarded to the complainant (Saxena). The appellate court amended the trial court's decision, which had sentenced Patkar to five months of simple imprisonment and mandated her to pay Rs 10 lakh as compensation to Saxena for damaging his reputation.

This defamation case traces back to 2001 when Saxena, then the head of the Ahmedabad-based NGO National Council for Civil Liberties, filed two defamation suits against Medha Patkar. One of these suits was related to allegedly disparaging comments she made during a television interview, while the other involved a press statement.

The legal conflict originated from a prior lawsuit filed by Medha Patkar in 2000, in which she accused Saxena of disseminating defamatory advertisements targeting her and the Narmada Bachao Andolan.

Representing Saxena in court were advocates Gajinder Kumar, Kiran Jai, Chandra Shekhar, Drishti, and Somya Arya.