Defamation case: KVIC chief places document of judicial admission by NBA chief Medha Patkar

KVIC Chairman V K Saxena, who is locked in a cross-defamation case against NBA activist Medha Patkar, told a Delhi Court Monday that she made an incorrect statement of having denied issuing libelous press statement against him and placed a document from the Delhi High Court to buttress that she made "judicial admission" of issuing it.

An application in this regard was filed by Saxena on which Metropolitan Magistrate Akash Sharma sought response from Patkar and posted the matter for May 11.

Saxena alleged that Patkar has been continuously denying that she has issued such a press note but in her high court petition seeking quashing of proceedings in another case, she made a "judicial admission" of having issued it.

"The averment in the petition is a judicial admission by the accused (Medha Patkar) and confirms on oath the stand of the complainant V K Saxena that she issued the press note in question and it was published by the web portal which is precisely the case of the complainant defamation," it said.

It further sought issuance of summons to the concerned clerk of the record room in the high court and directions to produce the case papers.

Patkar and Saxena have been embroiled in a legal battle since 2000 after she filed a suit against him for publishing advertisements against her and the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA). Saxena was then the chief of an Ahmedabad-based NGO, National Council for Civil Liberties.

Saxena, now chief of Khadi Village and Industries Commission (KVIC) in turn, had filed two cases against her for making derogatory remarks against him on a TV channel and issuing a defamatory press statement against him.

The application said the entire controversy in the case pending before the court was whether Patkar had issued a press note dated November 24, 2000, which was subsequently published by a web portal.

It further claimed that when Patkar failed to obtain any stay of proceedings, she withdrew it on January 9, 2019.

Patkar had claimed in the TV interview that Saxena had received civil contracts from Gujarat-based Sardar Sarovar Nigam, which manages the Sardar Sarovar Dam. The allegation was denied by Saxena.

Soon after the defamation complaint was lodged by Saxena against Patkar, Sardar Sarovar Nigam Ltd, in a letter to the Gujarat Police, had said that "V K Saxena, neither in his personal capacity, nor as President of National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL), ever applied to the Nigam for the award of any civil contract and/or for any supply contract in the past, nor the Nigam has ever given any civil or any other contract to him or to his NGO-- NCCL."