A Delhi court on Friday convicted social activist and Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar in a defamation case filed by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, as reported by PTI. Metropolitan Magistrate Raghav Sharma of the Saket court found Patkar guilty of criminal defamation. Under the law, Patkar could face a jail term of up to two years, a fine, or both as punishment.
The legal conflict between Patkar and Saxena dates back to 2000, when Patkar filed a suit against Saxena for publishing advertisements against her and the Narmada Bachao Andolan. Saxena responded with two defamation cases, alleging Patkar made derogatory remarks against him on television and issued defamatory press statements.
Last year, the Gujarat High Court granted Saxena temporary relief by staying further proceedings related to a 2002 case involving an alleged assault on Patkar. Saxena, along with two BJP MLAs and a Congress leader, was accused of assaulting Patkar at the Sabarmati Ashram during a peace meeting following communal riots in Gujarat. An FIR was registered against Saxena and others for unlawful assembly, assault, wrongful restraint, and criminal intimidation.
Additionally, Patkar and 12 others were booked last year in a fraud case in Barwani district, Madhya Pradesh. The FIR alleged that Patkar and other trustees misled people into donating to her trust for the welfare of those living near the Narmada valley in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Medha Patkar rose to prominence in 1985 through the Narmada Bachao Andolan, a movement focused on highlighting the struggles of tribals, laborers, farmers, fishermen, and their families in the Narmada valley region.
