Delhi High Court on Tuesday upheld the conviction and sentencing of rights activist Medha Patkar in a 2001 defamation case filed by Delhi lieutenant governor V.K. Saxena when he was head of a non-profit organisation and she was leading the Narmada Bachao Andolan.

Justice Shalinder Kaur said that the trial court’s order convicting Patkar did not require any interference and dismissed the activist’s plea challenging it. “Upon perusal, this court finds no illegality in the order (by the trial court) and requires no interference, and accordingly dismissed,” Justice Kaur said.

The matter arising out of a defamatory media release issued by Patkar against Saxena reached the high court when the sessions court and the magistrate’s court denied relief to the 70-year-old activist.

On July 1, 2024, the magistrate’s court sentenced Patkar to five months of simple imprisonment and slapped a ₹10 lakh fine after finding her guilty under the defamation charges. The sessions court later released her on probation and asked her to appear before the trial court every three months.

However, the high court modified the sessions court’s decision and gave her liberty to appear online or be represented by an advocate.