NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Monday sentenced Narmada Bachao Andolan activist Medha Patkar to five months of simple imprisonment in a defamation case. The case was filed by then Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) chairman V K Saxena, who is now the Lieutenant governor of Delhi.
The court, presided over by the Saket court, also ordered Patkar to pay Rs 10 lakh as compensation to Saxena. This ruling follows allegations that Patkar made defamatory statements against Saxena during her activism work.
In her response to the court's decision, Patkar signaling her intent to appeal the verdict said, "The truth can never be defeated...We have not tried to defame anyone, we only do our work...We will challenge the court's judgement."
The court's decision follows allegations that Patkar made defamatory remarks about Saxena, including calling him a "coward" and accusing him of involvement in hawala transactions, which the court deemed defamatory and intended to incite negative perceptions about Saxena.
On May 24, the court observed that Patkar's statements were not only defamatory per se but also aimed at damaging Saxena's reputation. The court also noted that Patkar's accusation of Saxena "mortgaging" the people of Gujarat and their resources to foreign interests was a direct attack on his integrity and public service.
The arguments regarding sentencing were concluded on May 30, and the judgment on the quantum of the sentence was reserved on June 7.
Patkar and Saxena have been embroiled in a legal battle since 2000, following a suit Patkar filed against Saxena for publishing advertisements against her and the Narmada Bachao Andolan. Saxena, who headed the Ahmedabad-based NGO 'Council for Civil Liberties' at the time, subsequently filed two cases against Patkar in 2001 for making derogatory remarks about him on a TV channel and issuing a defamatory press statement.