Social activist Medha Patkar arrested in 23-year-old defamation case
Social activist Medha Patkar was on Friday arrested by the Delhi Police, two days after a local court issued a non-bailable warrant against her in a 23-year-old defamation case filed by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, when he headed an NGO in Gujarat.
The case, initiated by Saxena in 2000 when he led the National Council for Civil Liberties, stems from a press release issued by Patkar on November 24 that year. In the press release, she had labelled Saxena a “coward” and accused him of being involved in hawala transactions. She had alleged that he was “mortgaging” the people and resources of Gujarat to foreign interests.
These statements, a magisterial court ruled last year, were not only defamatory but also designed to provoke negative public sentiment.
On May 24 last year, the court found her guilty of defamation. It concluded that her comments constituted a direct assault on Saxena’s personal integrity and his role in public service. Following arguments on sentencing, which concluded on May 30, 2023, the court reserved its judgment on June 7.
On July 1, Patkar was sentenced to five-month simple imprisonment. However, she later secured probation of good conduct, with a condition to deposit a fine of Rs 1 lakh. The Sessions Court, under Judge Vishal Singh of the Saket court, granted this leniency recently on April 8.
Despite this concession, Patkar failed to appear in the court on Wednesday for the formal furnishing of probation bonds and payment of the fine. Her absence, combined with non-compliance, led the court to issue a non-bailable warrant through the Commissioner of Delhi Police.
“The intention of convict Medha Patkar is apparent that she is deliberately violating the court order. She is avoiding appearing before the court and also avoiding to accept the terms of sentence passed against her. There is no order of suspension of sentence passed by this court on April 8,” read the court order.
Judge Singh further noted that the court is left with no option but to enforce the production of convict Patkar through coercive order. “Issue NBWs against convict Medha Patkar, through the office of Commissioner of Police, Delhi Police, for the next date,” read the order.
The court had also fixed May 3 as the next date of hearing and warned that failure to comply with its orders may result in reconsideration of the “benevolent sentence” granted earlier.
India