The Delhi High Court, led by Justice Shalinder Kaur, reserved its verdict on Tuesday regarding activist Medha Patkar’s appeal against her conviction in a defamation case lodged by Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena. The court permitted both sides to submit written arguments by July 18.

The case, initiated 23 years ago when Saxena headed a Gujarat-based NGO, stems from a defamatory press release issued by Patkar on November 24, 2000, as president of the National Council of Civil Liberties. Represented by senior advocate Sanjay Parikh, the 70-year-old Narmada Bachao Andolan leader challenged a sessions court’s April 2 ruling that upheld her conviction by a magisterial court.

On July 1, 2024, the magisterial court sentenced Patkar to five months of simple imprisonment and imposed a Rs 10 lakh fine under Section 500 (defamation) of the IPC. It deemed her statements “per se defamatory” and designed to “incite negative perceptions” about Saxena, particularly accusing him of “mortgaging” Gujarat’s people and resources to foreign interests—a direct attack on his integrity.

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The sessions court, on April 2, dismissed Patkar’s appeal, affirming she was “rightly convicted.” However, it released her on probation of good conduct on April 8, requiring a Rs 25,000 probation bond and a Rs 1 lakh fine deposit. The high court later suspended her sentence, granting bail on a Rs 25,000 personal bond.

Advocate Gajinder Kumar represented Saxena, who filed the case in response to Patkar’s remarks. The ongoing legal battle highlights tensions between public figures and activists, with the court’s forthcoming decision poised to set a significant precedent.

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