A Delhi court has sentenced activist Medha Patkar to five months of imprisonment in a defamation case filed by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena.
Saxena had filed the case in 2000 over a press release that Patkar had released during her involvement in the Narmada Bachao Andolan. Saxena had argued that it was defamatory. The court agreed with him.
Last month, a Delhi court ruled that Patkar’s statements were “defamatory per se” and “crafted to incite negative perceptions”, according to PTI.
On Monday, the court sentenced her to five months in jail and ordered her to pay Saxena Rs 10 lakh in fine. She has 30 days to appeal the judgement before the commencement of her sentence.
Saxena and Patkar have been involved in a legal tussle since 2000. Patkar has also filed a case against Saxena for publishing advertisements against her and the Narmada Bachao Andolan that she was part of, as per PTI. The agency further reported that the Saxena had also filed two cases against her for remarks against him on TV channel in addition to the case related to the press release.
Patkar deliberately tarnished Saxena’s name, says court
In its judgement, the court said that Patkar’s actions were deliberate and malicious and were aimed at tarnishing Saxena’s good name, as per PTI.
The court further said that Patkar’s actions indeed caused substantial harm to his standing and credit in the eyes of the public.
The court said Saxena’s testimony, which was supported by two court witnesses, showed that Patkar falsely linked Saxena with activities contrary to his public stance, as per the agency.
The court further said that Patkar could not provide any evidence to counter these accusations or to show that she did not intend or foresee the harm caused, according to the agency.
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