Legal Victory: VK Saxena Acquitted in Defamation Case

A Delhi court acquitted Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena in a 25-year-old defamation case filed by activist Medha Patkar. The court cited irreconcilable contradictions in Patkar's case and stated that criticisms directed at the NBA did not constitute personal defamation against her.

In a significant legal development, Delhi's Judicial Magistrate First Class Raghav Sharma acquitted Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena of defamation charges filed by activist Medha Patkar. The ruling came in a case dating back 25 years, where Patkar alleged personal defamation following a 2000 advertisement titled 'The True Face of Medha Patkar and her Narmada Bachao Andolan' published in The Indian Express.

The court scrutinized the evidence and found irreconcilable contradictions in Patkar's testimony. It concluded that the criticisms in the advertisement were directed at the organizational level of the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) and did not amount to personal defamation against Patkar. The judge noted that Patkar's name appeared only in the headline and lacked specific defamatory content within the advertisement itself.

The court emphasized that in loosely structured movements like the NBA, individual members cannot claim personal defamation on behalf of the organization. The verdict highlights the importance of individual accountability in collective actions and the distinction between organizational and personal criticisms.

(With inputs from agencies.)