In a 23-year-old criminal defamation case, Narmada Bachao Andolan leader and activist Medha Patkar sentenced to 5 months imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10 lakh.
Metropolitan Magistrate Raghav Sharma has announced the verdict. The court, in its verdict, stated that this order would remain suspended for 30 days. The court said that considering Patkar’s age and health condition, 1 or 2 years is not an excessive punishment.
Medha Patkar has filed a bail application in the court. The court convicted Medha Patkar on May 24 under Section 500 of the IPC. Current Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Vinay Kumar Saxena had filed a criminal defamation case against her in the year 2001 while he was the head of the Ahmedabad-based NGO National Council for Civil Liberties.
During the hearing on the issue of sentencing Medha Patkar, the lawyer of Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena demanded maximum punishment for her.
On the other hand, Patkar’s lawyer argued that she has done a lot for the society bringing her many awards. Further, her lawyer maintained that she should be released considering his good conduct and age.
Saxena had filed a defamation complaint against Patkar in an Ahmedabad court on 25 November 2000 and cited a press note of Patkar in it. The press note was titled Deshbhakt ka Asli Chehra (The real face of a patriot) and claimed that VK Saxena. Saxena himself came to Malegaon as was upset with the hawala transactions. He praised the NBA and gave a cheque of Rs 40,000. however, the receiver could not encash the cheque as it bounced. On investigation, the bank said that the account did not exist.
The court in its decision said that Medha Patkar’s actions were deliberate and unfortunate. The purpose of the actionwas to tarnish Saxena’s image. This has caused a lot of damage to his image and reputation.
The allegations leveled by her are not only defamatory but also fabricated to incite negative perceptions. Moreover, the allegation that the complainant is mortgaging the people of Gujarat and its resources to foreign interests is a direct attack on his integrity and public service.
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