Delhi High Court Suspends Medha Patkar's Sentence in 23-Year-Old Defamation Case

The Delhi High Court has suspended the sentence of activist Medha Patkar in a decades-old defamation case filed by Delhi LG V K Saxena. Initially arrested for failing to meet probation conditions, Patkar has been released on bail, with pending proceedings set for further hearings.

The Delhi High Court provided relief to activist Medha Patkar on Friday by suspending her sentence in a defamation case initiated by Delhi LG V K Saxena, filed 23 years ago when Saxena headed an NGO in Gujarat. Earlier that day, Patkar was arrested and brought before a sessions court.

The defamation case saw a sessions court upholding Patkar's conviction but altering her sentence to a probationary release, requiring a Rs 25,000 bond and a Rs 1 lakh fine. She failed to fulfill these terms, leading to a non-bailable warrant and her subsequent arrest.

The case now awaits further examination as the high court considers Patkar's revised petition challenging her conviction. Saxena's counsel has been given two weeks to respond, with further deliberations scheduled for May 20. Patkar's legal representative argued that furnishing the bond would render her petition obsolete, prompting the high court to release her on bail.

(With inputs from agencies.)