Court sentences Medha Patkar to 5 months in jail in defamation case

A court here on Monday sentenced activist Medha Patkar to five months simple imprisonment in a 23-year old defamation case lodged against her by Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena when he headed an NGO in Gujarat. Metropolitan Magistrate Raghav Sharma also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on Patkar.

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The court sentenced Patkar after considering the evidence before it and the fact that the case went on for over two decades.

However, the court suspended the sentence for one month to enable Patkar to file an appeal against the order.

Rejecting Patkar’s prayer to release her on the condition of probation, the judge said, “Considering the facts... damages, age and ailment (of the accused), I am not inclined to give excessive punishment.”