Delhi court issues non-bailable warrant against Medha Patkar for defying defamation case orders

A Delhi court has issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against activist and Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar for failing to comply with court directions in a defamation case filed over two decades ago by Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena.

On Wednesday, the court had summoned Patkar to appear in person, furnish probation bonds, and deposit a fine of ₹1 lakh - conditions set during her sentencing on April 8, when she was found guilty of defamation and released on probation for good conduct.

However, Patkar was absent in court and did not meet any of the stipulated requirements. The presiding judge, Additional Sessions Judge Vishal Singh, termed her request for adjournment "mischievous and frivolous," and proceeded to issue the NBW through the Delhi Police Commissioner.

Advocate Gajinder Kumar, representing LG Saxena, confirmed the court’s firm stance and said that failure to comply with the orders by the next hearing on May 3 could lead to the court reconsidering the lenient sentence granted earlier.

The defamation case dates back to 2000, when Saxena, then head of a Gujarat-based NGO, filed a complaint against Patkar following a press release she issued. In the statement, she had accused Saxena of being involved in hawala transactions, called him a "coward," and alleged he was "mortgaging" the people and resources of Gujarat to foreign interests - remarks deemed defamatory and damaging to his reputation.

Last year, a magisterial court concluded that Patkar’s comments were intentionally defamatory, aimed at provoking negative sentiment against Saxena. She was sentenced to five months' simple imprisonment on July 1, 2023, but had appealed the verdict in a sessions court.