The Delhi High Court has postponed arguments on Medha Patkar’s plea challenging her conviction in a 2001 defamation case filed by LG VK Saxena. The next hearing is set for July 14 and 15.
New Delhi [India], May 27: The Delhi High Court has postponed the next hearing on the petitions filed by social activist Medha Patkar in connection with a long-standing defamation case.
The case was originally filed in 2001 by the current Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, VK Saxena. Medha Patkar was convicted in this case, and her appeal is now being considered by the High Court.
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Justice Shalinder Kaur of the Delhi High Court has decided to hear further arguments on the matter on July 14 and 15, which will be presented by Medha Patkar’s lawyers.
The lawyer representing LG VK Saxena in the case before the High Court is Advocate Gajinder Kumar.
Medha Patkar has filed two petitions in the Delhi High Court — the first one challenges the judgement of the trial court that found her guilty, and the second one opposes the court’s refusal to allow her to bring in an additional witness in a defamation case that she had filed against VK Saxena.
Earlier on April 25, the Delhi High Court had temporarily suspended the sentence given to Medha Patkar by the trial court and directed her release from custody.
The High Court made it clear that this interim protection will continue until the next hearing date.
She was earlier arrested on April 25 after a Non-Bailable Warrant (NBW) was issued against her for not following the previous directions of the court.
Taking note of her arrest, the High Court granted her interim bail. She was found guilty and sentenced to three months of imprisonment in the defamation case filed by LG VK Saxena in 2001.
However, after she appealed the decision, the appellate court modified the sentence and instead directed that she be released on probation of good conduct for one year.
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She was also asked to pay compensation of Rs 1 lakh to VK Saxena. Medha Patkar has challenged this appellate court decision in the High Court.
The Delhi High Court observed,
“As contentious issues have been raised on behalf of the parties with respect to the suspension of sentence, and that the learned Senior Counsel submits that the petitioner has been taken in custody in execution of the NBW, therefore, in these circumstances, by way of an interim means, the petitioner be released on bail on furnishing a personal bond in the sum of Rs. 25,000/- with one surety in the like amount to the satisfaction of the learned ASJ/Link ASJ/CMM/Duty Magistrate.”
Senior Advocate Sanjay Parikh and Advocate Abhimanyu Shreshth appeared on behalf of Medha Patkar in the High Court.
Medha Patkar had approached the High Court challenging both her conviction and sentence passed by the lower court.
She was arrested on the morning of April 25, 2025, and was taken to the Saket court, which had earlier issued a Non-Bailable Warrant (NBW) on April 23, 2025, due to her failure to comply with its previous orders.
Following her arrest, she was released after she submitted a bond and deposited Rs 1 lakh as compensation, as directed by the court.
The appellate court, while deciding her appeal on April 8, 2025, against her conviction and sentence by the Magistrate’s court, had ordered her release on probation of good conduct.
It had also directed her to appear before the court, furnish a probation bond, and deposit the compensation amount on April 23, 2025.
Before this, Medha Patkar had requested the High Court to delay the court proceedings. However, on April 22, the High Court had directed her to go to the appellate court at Saket instead.
The Saket court then rejected her request and issued the NBW against her.
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Previously, the Magistrate’s court had convicted her on May 24, 2024, for defamation. Later, on July 1, 2024, the court sentenced her to three months’ imprisonment and ordered her to pay Rs 10 lakh in compensation to VK Saxena.
She was granted bail in order to challenge this judgment. She later appealed the ruling before the Sessions Court.
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