Delhi Police arrest activist Medha Patkar over 24 yr old defamation case

Social activist Medha Patkar was arrested by the Delhi Police on Friday after a Saket court issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against her.

The arrest followed her failure to furnish probation bonds and a Rs 1 lakh fine by the April 23 deadline in a defamation case filed by Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena.

According to a by the Indian Express, a police team took her into custody from her Nizamuddin residence, and she is expected to be produced before a link judge at the Saket Court later in the day, as the presiding judge, Additional Sessions Judge Vishal Singh, is currently on leave.

ASJ’s warning

On April 23, ASJ Singh had warned that Patkar’s non-compliance would compel the court to reconsider its earlier “benevolent” decision to grant her probation.

The court had initially spared her a five-month jail term on April 8, citing her social work and the non-grave nature of the offence. However, it mandated that she submit the bonds and fine by the stipulated deadline to retain the probation benefit.

Defamation case stems from a Nov 2000 press statement

The defamation case stems from a November 2000 press statement by Patkar, then leading the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA).

She accused Saxena—who headed an NGO supporting Gujarat’s Sardar Sarovar Project—of being a “coward” and alleged his involvement in hawala transactions. Saxena, then president of the National Council of Civil Liberties, filed the case after Patkar claimed he issued a bounced cheque to the NBA, which opposed the dam project.

The legal battle saw Patkar convicted by a magistrate court in May 2024, leading to a five-month jail sentence.

However, ASJ Singh suspended the sentence in July 2024 and granted her bail.

The recent probation order aimed to avoid imprisonment, but her failure to meet the court’s conditions resulted in the NBW.

The court will now reassess the sentencing on May 3, potentially revoking the probation and reinstating stricter penalties.

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