Read Time: 04 minutes
The ASJ orally directed her release, subject to furnishing the probation bond and depositing the compensation amount of Rs. 1 lakh, as required under the earlier sentencing order
Hours after her arrest, activist Medha Patkar has been directed to be released by the Delhi's Saket Court on Thursday, subject to her furnishing a probation bond and depositing the court-mandated compensation amount of Rs. 1 lakh in a 23-year-old criminal defamation case filed by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.
Patkar’s arrest followed the issuance of non-bailable warrants (NBWs) by Additional Sessions Judge Vishal Singh on April 23, after she failed to appear in Court and comply with the sentencing order passed earlier this month. The Court had expressed displeasure over her continued absence and termed her conduct as “deliberate non-compliance.”
After being arrested by the Delhi Police, she was produced before Additional Session Judge (ASJ) Vipin Kharb.
Patkar's Counsel submitted, "NBWs (non-bailable warrants) have been executed. The probation order stands true as we stand before the court. I will furnish probation bonds in the second half today. I have been picked up from the railway station on my way to the court."
The ASJ orally directed her release, subject to furnishing the probation bond and depositing the compensation amount of Rs. 1 lakh, as required under the earlier sentencing order.
Background
Patkar was convicted under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code for criminal defamation in a case dating back to 2001. The case was filed by VK Saxena, who was then heading an Ahmedabad-based NGO, alleging that Patkar had made defamatory statements against him in a press note titled "True Face of Patriot."
She was sentenced to five months’ imprisonment and directed to pay Rs.10 lakh as compensation, with the sentence suspended pending appeal. However, she failed to adhere to the Court’s directions for availing the benefit of probation.
It is to be noted that in May 2024, Patkar was held guilty in the defamation case. The Court had held that her statements were “deliberate and malicious,” intended to tarnish Saxena’s reputation. It stated that the defamatory comments were not only per se harmful but were also crafted to incite negative public perception and cause substantial damage to Saxena’s standing.
Case Title: Medha Patkar v. V.K. Saxena
[Inputs: PTI & The Hindu]
Please Login or Register
