Activist Medha Patkar arrested in defamation case filed by Delhi L-G

New Delhi: Social activist Medha Patkar was arrested by the Delhi Police on Friday after a non-bailable warrant (NBW) was issued against her by a Delhi court in a defamation case filed by Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena.

The arrest took place at the Nizamuddin railway station in the morning, with Patkar being produced before the court later in the afternoon.

The case stems from a press release issued by Patkar on November 24, 2000, where she allegedly defamed Saxena, leading to the defamation suit. Saxena filed the case as the president of the National Council of Civil Liberties against Patkar, who had made critical comments about him.

In May 2024, Patkar was sentenced to five months of simple imprisonment for her actions. Despite the court's ruling, Patkar failed to comply with the court’s orders to submit probation bonds and pay a Rs1 lakh fine by April 23, 2025. The court had previously issued a directive for her to fulfill these conditions, but she disregarded the order, leading to the issuance of the non-bailable warrant.

The court described Patkar’s application seeking a postponement of her sentence as “mischievous and frivolous.” Judge Vishal Singh rejected the application, pointing out that Patkar had intentionally failed to appear in court and comply with the conditions. The court also warned that failure to comply with the order could result in a reassessment of her sentence.