A Delhi court on Wednesday issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against social activist Medha Patkar for not furnishing probation bonds in a 24-year-old defamation case moved against her by Delhi Lieutenant Governor (L-G) V K Saxena. The Delhi High Court had on Tuesday refused Patkar’s plea to stay for two weeks the proceedings for execution of a probation bond linked to the case and had asked her to approach the trial court. "On the next date, if the convict fails to comply with the terms of order on sentence dated 08/04/2025, the court will be constrained to reconsider the benevolent sentence and will have to alter the order on sentence," noted Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Vishal Singh of Saket court in his order dated April 23. "The present application (asking for a stay on the execution of the probation bond) is frivolous and mischievous and is only calculated to hoodwink the Court. The present application is, therefore, dismissed," he added. On April 8, ASJ Singh had granted the activist a one-year probation in the case, noting that Patkar, the leader of Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), had received awards for her work and that the offence committed by her was not grave enough to warrant imprisonment. Earlier, the court had dismissed Patkar’s appeal against her conviction in the defamation case filed in 2000, where she had allegedly called Saxena – who then headed an NGO in Gujarat – a “coward” and alleged his involvement in hawala transactions. On May 24, 2024, a magistrate court had held Patkar’s statements defamatory and sentenced her to a five-month jail term on July 1. However, ASJ Singh had suspended the sentence and granted her bail on July 29 last year. The defamation case stems from a press release issued by Patkar on November 25, 2000. While Saxena’s NGO had actively supported the Sardar Sarovar Project of the Gujarat government, the NBA was leading a movement in opposition. In the press release, Patkar had alleged that Saxena, who was then the president of NGO National Council of Civil Liberties, was supporting the NBA in secrecy. She alleged that he had given a cheque to NBA and it bounced. The case will now be heard on May 3.
