On Monday, a court suspended the five-month simple imprisonment sentence imposed on Medha Patkar, leader of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, in a defamation case filed by Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena.

The case dates back 23 years to when Saxena was leading an NGO in Gujarat.

Following Patkar's appeal, Metropolitan Magistrate Raghav Sharma not only suspended the sentence but also issued a notice to Saxena, represented by counsel Gajinder Kumar. Additionally, the court granted Patkar bail on a bond and surety of Rs 25,000.

Kumar noted that a response to the notice must be filed before the next hearing scheduled for September 4. The court had originally sentenced Patkar on July 1 and convicted her on May 24, ruling that her remarks calling Saxena a "coward" and alleging his involvement in "hawala" transactions were defamatory and intended to damage his reputation.

The court also criticized Patkar’s accusation that Saxena was "mortgaging" Gujarat's resources to foreign interests as a direct assault on his integrity and public service. Arguments on sentencing concluded on May 30, with the sentence judgment reserved on June 7.

The legal dispute between Patkar and Saxena began in 2000 when Patkar sued Saxena for publishing advertisements against her and the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA). Saxena, then heading the "Council for Civil Liberties" in Ahmedabad, retaliated by filing two cases in 2001 for derogatory remarks made by Patkar on television and in a press statement.