23 years on, Medha Patkar convicted for ‘defaming’ V K Saxena

A defamation suit was filed against Patkar in an Ahmedabad court in 2001. Two years later, on the Supreme Court’s directions, the case was transferred to Delhi.

The Court of Metropolitan Magistrate Raghav Sharma, in a judgment passed today, said: “… her decision to label the complainant as a ‘coward’ and ‘not a patriot’ was a direct attack on his personal character and loyalty to the nation. Such allegations are particularly grave in the public sphere, where patriotism is highly valued, and questioning someone’s courage and national loyalty can cause irreversible damage to their public image and social standing.”

Noting that Patkar “harboured a clear intention to defame” Saxena, the court also noted that he was called an agent of the Gujarat government by the accused.

According to the court, the accusations levelled against Saxena by Patkar suggested that he was “engaged in actions detrimental to the state and its citizens thereby framing him as a traitor to public trust and interest.” The Court also called the remarks by Patkar inflammatory – it also added that the comments intended to provoke public outrage and diminish Saxena’s image in the eyes of the public.
Patkar’s counsel argued that there was no proof that the press note was sent to Saxena by her. The counsel also argued that the email through which Saxena stated he received the press note was not brought on record. It was also Patkar’s case that the document which is alleged to be a press note was an email — which could have easily been typed and sent to Saxena using the name of the accused.
The next date of hearing in the case is May 30.