Acclaimed Social Activist Medha Patkar Arrested In A 24 Year Old Case

The Delhi Police has arrested social activist Medha Patkar today (25th April), which came two days after a court issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against her. The court warrant was based on her not having furnished probation bonds in a 24-year-old defamation case moved by the present Delhi Lieutenant Governor (L-G) V K Saxena.

“On the next date, if the convict fails to comply with the terms of order on sentence dated 08/04/2025 (furnishing probation bonds in person), the court will be constrained to reconsider the benevolent sentence and will have to alter the order on sentence,” Additional Sessions Judge Vishal Singh of Saket Court said in on order dated April 23.

A team of police officers reached Patkar’s residence at Delhi’s Nizamuddin area in the morning and took her into custody. “We have executed the NBW and Medha Patkar has been arrested,” Ravi Kumar Singh, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), South East, was quoted to have saying in the media.

Patkar is likely to be produced before the Saket Court in the afternoon.

What Medha Patkar Missed?

As per the report, ASJ Singh granted the renowned activist one year's probation in the case on April 8th.  Patkar was the leader of Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) and received awards for her work.

Considering that Patkar’s offence was not grave enough to warrant imprisonment, the ASJ directed her to furnish probation bonds by April 23rd.

The court earlier had dismissed Patkar’s appeal against her conviction in the defamation case filed in 2000.  Patkar was allegedly called Delhi L-G Saxena a “coward” and alleged his involvement in hawala transactions.

 In 2024, Patkar was sentenced to a five-month jail term after a magistrate court found her statements defamatory. However, ASJ Singh suspended the sentence, granting her bail on July 29 last year.

Narmada Bachao Andolan & The Defamation Case

The NBA rose to its peak in the year 2000. At that time, V K Saxena, the present LG of Delhi, was heading an NGO in Gujarat named National Council of Civil Liberties. 

The Saxena-led NGO was supporting the Gujarat government’s Sardar Sarovar Project, which the NBA was opposing.  On 25th November 2000, Medha Patkar gave a press statement, alleging that Saxena was supporting the NBA in secrecy. She added in her allegation that he had given a cheque to the NBA, which was bounced.