Patkar NGO issued defamatory press note against KVIC Chief, court told in defamation case

A witness in a criminal defamation case against NBA activist Medha Patkar told a Delhi Court Tuesday that her NGO had issued a libellous press note against KVIC Chairperson V K Saxena, a charge denied by her earlier.

Nilesh Sachdev, an architect who appeared as a witness to support the complaint filed by Saxena, placed before the court a copy of the press release issued by the Narmada Bacahao Andolan (NBA) on November 24, 2000.

Saxena alleged that the NBA's press release contained defamatory remarks about him and through it spread the falsehood that he made donation to NGO's support group and a news item, based on it, was published in a web portal.

However, Patkar in her deposition in November last year denied issuing any kind of press release which allegedly defamed Saxena.

Her claim was Tuesday refuted by Sachdev, who told Metropolitan Magistrate Nishant Garg that "in order to depose before the court, I tried to verify the truth of allegations for which I opened narmada.org where I found the press note issued by NBA dated November 24, 2000.

"I tried to verify the authenticity of narmada.org and I found that web site has been created by NAPM (National Alliance for Peoples Movement) of which accused Patkar is the convener."
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."