New Delhi. The Saket Court of the capital has convicted social activist and Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar in a defamation case. A petition was filed against her by the then Khadi Development and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) chairman VK Saxena (now Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor). Metropolitan Magistrate Raghav Sharma of Saket Court found Medha Patkar guilty of criminal defamation. According to the law, she can be punished with a maximum of 2 years of imprisonment or fine or both.
Both Medha Patkar and the Delhi LG have been fighting a legal battle since 2000. Medha Patkar had then filed a case against VK Saxena for publishing an advertisement against her and the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA). VK Saxena was then the head of the Ahmedabad-based NGO National Council for Civil Liberties. Saxena had also filed two cases against him for making derogatory comments against her on a TV channel and issuing defamatory press statements.
Action taken for calling VK Saxena a coward
LG VK Saxena had filed this case against Medha Patekar in 2001. He alleged that Medha Patekar had issued a press note stating that Saxena is a coward and not a patriot. The court said in its order that Medha Patekar’s statement was damaging to the reputation of LG. Calling Saxena a coward, accusing him of being involved in hawala transactions is not only defamatory but also an attempt to create a negative opinion about him among the people. Medha Patekar’s statement that ‘he is a coward and not a patriot’ is a direct attack on his character and his loyalty towards the country.
FIRST PUBLISHED : May 24, 2024, 19:57 IST