The Delhi High Court has suspended the sentence of activist and Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar in a criminal defamation case filed by Vinai Kumar Saxena in 2001. VK Saxena is currently serving as the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi.
Justice Shalinder Kaur passed the order during the post-lunch session on Friday after an urgent plea was filed by Patkar. Earlier in the morning, Patkar had withdrawn her plea against conviction but later filed a fresh petition challenging both the conviction and the sentence given by the trial court.
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Senior Advocate Sanjay Parikh appeared on behalf of Medha Patkar, while Saxena was represented by Advocates Gajinder Kumar and Kiran Jai.
While suspending Patkar's sentence, the Court granted her bail. It directed her to furnish a personal bond of ₹25,000 along with one surety of the same amount.
"In view of the above, as contentious issues have been raised on behalf of the parties with respect to the suspension of sentence, and that the learned Senior Counsel submits that the petitioner has been taken in custody in execution of the NBW, therefore, in these circumstances, by way of an interim means, the petitioner be released on bail on furnishing a personal bond in the sum of ₹25,000/- with one surety in the like amount to the satisfaction of the learned ASJ/Link ASJ/CMM/Duty Magistrate," the Court stated.
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Justice Kaur also issued notice on Patkar's fresh plea and asked Saxena to file a response within two weeks.
“List on 20.05.2025. In the meanwhile, the order on sentence is deferred till the next date of hearing,” the Court added.
Earlier, on April 2, the trial court had rejected Patkar’s appeal against her conviction and released her on one year’s probation. The court also directed her to pay ₹1 lakh as compensation to Saxena.
However, Patkar was arrested by the Delhi Police after the trial court issued a non-bailable warrant against her, noting that she had been absent from proceedings and had deliberately disobeyed the court’s order.
Medha Patkar was convicted under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, which deals with criminal defamation.
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The case dates back to a press note issued by Patkar on November 25, 2000, titled "True Face of Patriot," where she accused Saxena of dishonesty.
In her statement, Patkar alleged, “VK Saxena, one who is pained by the Hawala transactions himself came to Malegaon, praised NBA and gave a cheque of ₹40,000. Lok Samiti naively and promptly sent the receipt and the letter, which shows honesty and good record-keeping more than anything else. But the cheque could not be encashed and got bounced. On enquiry, the bank reported the account does not exist."
Patkar further called Saxena a coward and questioned his patriotism. While convicting her, the trial court said:
“Patkar’s statements were deliberate, malicious, and intended to tarnish Saxena’s reputation, causing significant harm to his credibility and standing.”
The court observed that her remarks were defamatory and designed to create negative public opinion against Saxena.
Title: Medha Patkar v. VK Saxena
