Court rejects Medha Patkar's plea in Delhi LG defamation case

New Delhi

A Delhi court on Wednesday rejected activist Medha Patkar's plea challenging her conviction in a 23-year-old defamation case filed by Delhi LG V K Saxena. The case dates back to 2000 when Saxena, then heading an NGO in Gujarat, sued Patkar over a press release issued on November 24 that year.

The conviction stands. Medha Patkar must appear on April 8 for sentencing, additional sessions judge Vishal Singh ruled.

On May 24 last year, a magisterial court found Patkar’s statements—calling Saxena a coward and accusing him of hawala transactions—defamatory and aimed at damaging his reputation. The court also noted that her allegations of Saxena mortgaging Gujarat’s people and resources to foreign entities were a direct attack on his integrity.

On July 1, 2024, Patkar was sentenced to five months of simple imprisonment. She later appealed in a sessions court, which has now upheld her conviction.