New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday upheld the conviction and sentence of social activist Medha Patkar in a 23-year-old defamation case filed by current Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena.
Justice Shalinder Kaur, who delivered the judgment, stated that the trial court’s order was free of any legal flaws and warranted no interference. “Upon perusal, this court finds no illegality in the order (by the trial court) and requires no interference, and accordingly the petition stands dismissed,” the judge observed.
The defamation suit was originally filed by V.K. Saxena in 2001, during his tenure as the head of a Gujarat-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), long before assuming the constitutional office of Lieutenant Governor of Delhi.
The case pertained to allegedly defamatory remarks made by Patkar, leading to a prolonged legal battle. With the High Court’s decision, the lower court’s conviction and punishment now stand affirmed.
Legal experts note that the verdict reinforces the judicial approach towards defamation and public accountability, especially involving high-profile individuals and civil society representatives.
