Delhi Court Reserves Order In Activist Medha Patkar Defamation Case

Delhi Court has reserved its order on the sentence against activist Medha Patkar in a defamation case lodged by the city’s Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena till July 1 on Friday.

While reserving the order, Metropolitan Magistrate Raghav Sharma had noted, that Delhi Legal Services Authority (DLSA) has given the victim impact report (VIR).

The report is compiled following accused conviction, to evaluate the extent of harm experienced by the victim.

Further, the offence involves a maximum penalty of imprisonment for a period of up to two years, a fine, or both.

Previously on May 24, the court had observed Medha Patkar’s statements like calling VK Saxena a ‘coward’ and alleging his involvement in Hawala transactions not defamatory per se but it indeed generated negative perceptions about him.

Further, it also observed, that the allegation that complainant is ‘mortgaging’ Gujarat resources and its people to foreign interests is indeed a direct attack on his integrity and service.

Later, the arguments on the sentencing were concluded on May 30.

What’s The Case All About?

Since the year 2000, activist Medha Patkar and VK Saxena has embroiled in a legal battle, after she lodged a suit against alleged publishing of advertisement against her and the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA).

VK Saxena, who that time, was running an Ahmedabad-based NGO called ‘Council for Civil Liberties’ had also lodged two cases against Patkar for allegedly making slanderous remarks against him on TV channel and issuing defamatory press statement.