Social activist and Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar was arrested by Delhi Police on Friday, days after a Delhi court issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against her in connection with a 24-year-old defamation case filed in 2000 by current Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena.
The arrest follows Patkar라이브 바카라 failure to furnish probation bonds as directed by the court. On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court rejected her request to delay proceedings related to the bond execution by two weeks, advising her instead to approach the trial court. The case is slated for hearing on May 3.
What is the defamation case about?
The defamation case dates back to November 2000, when Patkar, in a press statement, allegedly referred to V.K. Saxena—then heading an NGO in Gujarat—as a “coward” and accused him of involvement in hawala transactions. At the time, Saxena라이브 바카라 NGO was a vocal supporter of the Gujarat government라이브 바카라 Sardar Sarovar Project, while Patkar라이브 바카라 NBA was at the forefront of the opposition movement.
Patkar also claimed that Saxena secretly supported the NBA and had issued a cheque to the organization, which later bounced—further fueling tensions between the two sides.
The long-pending case has resurfaced amid renewed legal proceedings, with the court now pushing forward on enforcement actions.
Last year in May, a magistrate court had held Patkar라이브 바카라 statements defamatory and sentenced her to a five-month jail term on July 1. ASJ Singh had suspended the sentence and granted her bail on July 29, 2024.
During a hearing of the case on April 8 this year, Additional Sessions Judge Vishal Singh of Delhi라이브 바카라 Saket court had granted the activist a one-year probation in the case. He said that the social activist had received awards for her work and that the offence committed by her was not grave enough to warrant imprisonment.
