A Delhi court on Tuesday granted relief to social activist Medha Patkar by deciding not to send her to jail in a defamation case filed by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena. Instead, she was released on probation for one year based on her good conduct.
Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Vishal Singh at Saket Courts acknowledged Patkar’s long-standing work as a social activist and recipient of several awards, noting that the offence was not serious enough to warrant imprisonment.
“The court decides to release her for good conduct... She is being released on a probation of one year,” said Judge Singh.
The court also reduced the ₹10 lakh fine imposed earlier and directed Patkar to pay compensation to Saxena.
The case dates back to 2000, when Saxena, then President of the National Council of Civil Liberties, published an advertisement critical of the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), led by Patkar. In response, Patkar issued a press note alleging Saxena’s prior support of the NBA and questioned his association with the Lalbhai Group, from whom a cheque had allegedly bounced.
This prompted Saxena to file a defamation case against Patkar in Ahmedabad in 2001, which was transferred to Delhi in 2003 on the orders of the Supreme Court. In July 2024, a magistrate court convicted Patkar, sentencing her to five months in jail and imposing a ₹10 lakh fine.
Patkar appealed the conviction, denying that she authored or circulated the press note in question or had any affiliation with the website through which it was published. However, the Sessions Court upheld her conviction, stating that the evidence clearly pointed to her involvement in drafting and disseminating the press note.
“The involvement of Medha Patkar is as hidden as an elephant behind an office table,” the judge remarked, adding that Patkar had used the internet as a “smoke screen” to circulate the defamatory content.
While upholding the conviction under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the court exercised leniency in sentencing, considering her social contributions.
Patkar has since challenged the Sessions Court’s decision in the Delhi High Court.