LG ‘defamation’: Delhi court suspends Medha Patkar's jail term, grants her bail

NEW DELHI: A court on Monday suspended the sentence handed to social activist Medha Patkar in a criminal defamation case filed by lieutenant governor VK Saxena in 2000 when he was the president of National Council of Civil Liberties in Gujarat.

Patkar was granted bail by the court of additional sessions judge Vishal Singh of Saket Courts on the condition that she would provide a bail bond of Rs 25,000 and one surety of the same amount.

"The order of sentence dated 01/07/2024 shall remain suspended till further orders during the pendency of the present appeal," the court said, adding that Patkar would have to submit both within seven working days from Monday. The court also issued a notice to Saxena, requiring him to submit a reply by Sept 4.

Saxena filed the case, alleging that Patkar had issued a defamatory press release against him. Advocate Gajinder Kumar appeared for Saxena while advocate Sridevi Panikkar represented Patkar.

The development comes after another court on July 1 sentenced Patkar to five months of simple imprisonment. The court had also directed Patkar to pay Rs 10 lakh to Saxena as compensation, adding that in case of default, she would have to undergo three more months of simple imprisonment.

While the court had taken into consideration Patkar's age of 70 years and her medical condition, it ultimately concluded that these factors "do not absolve her of the serious nature of her offence".

"The unfounded accusations, such as involvement in hawala transactions and compromising the interests of Gujarat's people for foreign entities, were designed to ruin the complainant's public image and credibility. The complainant experienced profound damage to his reputation, trustworthiness and social standing," the court had said.

"These defamatory remarks led to severe personal and professional hardships, forcing the complainant to suffer through the anguish of a drawn-out legal battle for over 20 years," it added while sentencing the activist.

On May 24, the court had convicted Patkar of the offence of defamation. The offence entailed a maximum punishment of simple imprisonment of up to two years or a fine or both.


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