A Delhi court on Tuesday granted one year probation to social activist Medha Patkar in a 24-year-old defamation case lodged against her by Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena.
Noting that Patkar, the leader of Narmada Bachao Andolan, had received multiple awards for her work, Additional Sessions Judge Vishal Singh of Saket court released her on probation for good conduct as the offence committed by her was not grave to warrant imprisonment.
Probation refers to non-institutional treatment of offenders on the discretion of the court if the convict has met certain criteria such as good conduct.
The court also reduced the fine of Rs 10 lakh imposed on the 70-year-old activist to Rs 1 lakh to be paid to Saxena.
Last Wednesday, the court had dismissed Patkar’s appeal against her conviction in the defamation case filed in 2000 where the leader had allegedly called Saxena, who headed an NGO in Gujarat at the time, a “coward” and alleged his involvement in hawala transactions.
A magistrate court, on May 24, 2024, had held Patkar’s statements defamatory and sentenced her to a five-month jail term on July 1. However, Additional Sessions Judge Singh had suspended Patkar’s sentence and granted her bail on July 29 last year.
The defamation case stems from a press release issued by Patkar on November 25, 2000, titled ‘True Face of Patriot’. While Saxena’s organisation had actively supported the Sardar Sarovar Project of the Gujarat government, Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), headed by Patkar, was leading a mass movement in opposition to the project. In the press release, Patkar had alleged that Saxena, who was then the president of nonprofit National Council of Civil Liberties, was supporting the NBA in secrecy. She alleged that a cheque was given to the NBA by him which had subsequently bounced.
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