 "Supreme Court confirms Medha Patkar's conviction in defamation case")
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to overturn the conviction of activist Medha Patkar in a criminal defamation case filed by Vinai Kumar Saxena, the current Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, dating back to 2001, reported Live Law.
However, a bench comprising Justice MM Sundresh and Justice N Kotiswar Singh set aside the ₹1 lakh penalty imposed on her.
The trial court had exempted Patkar from jail by granting probation. The Supreme Court modified this probation order by removing the requirement for her periodic court appearances, allowing her instead to furnish bonds.
Senior Advocate Sanjay Parikh, representing Patkar, argued that the appellate court had disbelieved two key witnesses and that the crucial email evidence was inadmissible as it was not certified under Section 65B of the Indian Evidence Act. Despite these submissions, the bench was reluctant to interfere with the conviction but agreed to quash the penalty.
Senior advocate Maninder Singh, representing Saxena, contended that at least a nominal penalty should be imposed on Patkar.
On July 29, the Delhi High Court had upheld Patkar’s conviction in the defamation case filed by Saxena, who was then head of the Ahmedabad-based NGO National Council for Civil Liberties.
What is the case?
On November 25, 2000, Patkar released a press note titled 'True face of patriot', in which she accused Saxena of involvement in hawala transactions. She also alleged that Saxena had issued a cheque for ₹40,000 to the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) that bounced because the account did not exist, and called him a "coward" instead of a "patriot".
In April 2025, the trial court convicted Patkar under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code, finding her statements to be intentionally malicious and damaging to Saxena’s reputation. The court described her remarks as defamatory per se, aimed at tarnishing Saxena’s character and causing harm to his reputation. The Delhi High Court suspended her sentence that same month and granted her bail on a personal bond of ₹25,000.
Patkar challenged the conviction and sentence, as well as the orders refusing her request to summon an additional witness in her defamation case against Saxena.
Delhi HC upholds Medha Patkar’s conviction
On July 29, 2025, the Delhi High Court upheld the conviction, ruling there was no illegality or significant procedural error in the trial court’s judgment. While it declined to alter the sentence, the High Court modified a probation condition that required Patkar to appear before the trial court every three months, permitting her to appear in person, via video call, or through legal representation.
The court also dismissed her appeals against the conviction and the rejection of her request to call an additional witness.