Medha Patkar's Witness Plea Sparks Legal Battle in Defamation Case

Activist Medha Patkar challenges a court ruling barring her from introducing a new witness in her long-standing defamation case against LG V K Saxena. The Delhi High Court seeks a response from Saxena, with a hearing set for May 20, while the trial court proceedings remain unaffected.

In a significant legal development, noted social activist Medha Patkar has contested a trial court's decision prohibiting her from examining Nandita Narrain as a witness in her defamation case against Delhi's Lieutenant Governor, V K Saxena. Justice Shalinder Kaur of the High Court has issued a notice to Saxena, requesting his response ahead of a scheduled hearing on May 20.

The controversy erupted when Saket District Court denied Patkar the opportunity to present Narrain as a witness, emphasizing that allowing such additions without solid justification could create a dangerous legal precedent. The court had warned that permitting new testimonies arbitrarily could lead to never-ending proceedings, especially in a case that has lingered for over two decades.

This legal battle, which commenced in 2000, saw Patkar's legal representative, Sridevi Pannikar, seeking to introduce Narrain based on her relevance to the defamation allegations. Opposing this move, LG Saxena's counsel argued that the plea aims to delay the conclusion of the trial, pointing out that Patkar had not previously cited Narrain as crucial to the case.

(With inputs from agencies.)