Social activist Medha Patkar Today (April 25) withdraws her plea challenging her defamation conviction filed by Delhi LG Vinai Kumar Saxena. The Delhi High Court allowed the withdrawal with liberty to file a fresh petition.
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NEW DELHI: Well-known social activist Medha Patkar has taken back the criminal revision petition that she had earlier filed in the Delhi High Court. This petition was to challenge her conviction in a defamation case filed by the current Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi, VK Saxena.
The case goes back to a legal dispute between Medha Patkar and VK Saxena. In that defamation case, the court had earlier given a judgment against Medha Patkar. After that, she filed a criminal revision petition in the Delhi High Court to fight against the conviction.
However, during a recent hearing, Medha Patkar’s legal team decided not to continue with this petition. Her lawyer made a request before the Delhi High Court to take the petition back, but with a condition — that she should be allowed to file a fresh petition in the future, if needed.
Justice Shalinder Kaur of the Delhi High Court heard the request from Medha Patkar’s side. After listening to the matter, the judge accepted the withdrawal request and allowed her to file a new petition later on, if she wants to.
The court clearly stated in its order:
“This is a request for withdrawal. The petitioner’s lawyer asks for permission to withdraw, with the right to file a new petition. The petition is dismissed as withdrawn, with the requested permission granted.”
This means that Medha Patkar can come back to court again with a fresh case regarding the same matter if she chooses to do so in the future.
The High Court is slated to hear this matter next on May 20.
EARLIER IN DELHI HC
The Delhi High Court on April 22 told social activist Medha Patkar to go to the sessions court first if she wants more time to deposit a fine of Rs 1 lakh. This fine was given to her in a defamation case filed by Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) V.K. Saxena.
The case was filed 23 years ago when Saxena was working with an NGO in Gujarat.
Earlier, the sessions court had found 70-year-old Medha Patkar guilty of defamation. But on April 8, the same court decided not to send her to jail and instead released her on “probation of good conduct”. However, the court added a condition – she must pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
ALSO READ: Medha Patkar Won’t Be Jailed For Defaming Delhi LG VK Saxena: Saket Court
Probation means that the person who is found guilty does not go to jail immediately. Instead, they are released with a condition to behave properly for a certain time. If they do anything wrong again, they may be sent to jail.
In the Delhi High Court, Justice Shalinder Kaur said she would not consider Patkar’s request to stop the sentence execution or delay the fine payment. So Patkar’s lawyer said that they would file the same request in the sessions court.
“You first follow the trial court order and then I will consider your plea. Don’t come to the court on the last day,”
-said Justice Kaur when Patkar’s lawyer informed the judge that the sessions court would look into the matter on Wednesday.
ALSO READ: Delhi Court Upholds Medha Patkar’s Jail Term & Rs 10 Lakh Fine for Defaming LG VK Saxena
On that day, Patkar has to give the probation bond and pay the amount.
The High Court then accepted the lawyer’s submission and said that the trial court should handle the matter legally. It also kept the next hearing for May 19. That day is already fixed to hear Patkar’s appeal against the April 2 sessions court decision that upheld her conviction, which was earlier given by a magisterial court.
According to the order by the magisterial court dated July 1, 2024, Patkar – who is the leader of the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) – was found guilty under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (defamation). She was sentenced to five months of simple imprisonment and was also asked to pay a fine of Rs 10 lakh.
But on April 8, 2025, in a major relief, the sessions court released her on “probation of good conduct” in the same defamation case.
The sessions court also said it was “modifying” the previous order given by the magistrate, where Patkar was sentenced to five months in jail. Now, she only had to pay Rs 1 lakh as compensation. This amount would be given to the complainant, V.K. Saxena. The court added that this compensation would be recovered as fine, as per law.
The court also stated,
“On deposit of compensation amount, convict or appellant Medha Patkar shall furnish a probation bond of Rs 25,000 with one surety of like amount for an operative period of one year from the date of furnishing the probation bond.”
This defamation case was filed by Saxena long ago, in 2000, when he was the president of the National Council of Civil Liberties, a Gujarat-based NGO. The case was based on a “defamatory press release” that Patkar issued on November 24, 2000.
ALSO READ: Defamation Case | Medha Patkar Moves Delhi High Court to Challenge Conviction
On May 24, 2024, the magistrate had ruled that Patkar’s statements calling Saxena a “coward” and accusing him of being involved in hawala transactions were clearly defamatory. The court said these remarks were not only offensive but also “crafted to incite negative perceptions” about Saxena.
Further, the magistrate court pointed out that her statement, which accused Saxena of “mortgaging” the people of Gujarat and their resources to foreign interests, was a serious attack on his honesty and public service.
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