Saxena had sued Patkar for allegedly making a statement in an India TV show in 2006.
In a two-decade-old criminal defamation case brought by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, activist Medha Patkar was found not guilty by a Delhi court on Saturday.
Saxena failed to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that Patkar made the alleged defamatory remarks on April 20, 2006, on an India TV program called "Breaking News," according to Saket Courts Judicial Magistrate First Class Raghav Sharma.
It is decided that the complainant has not proven its case against the accused beyond a reasonable doubt. The Court said, "Accused Medha Patkar is hereby acquitted for the offence punishable under Section 500 of the IPC."
The case began on April 20, 2006, when Saxena, the National Council of Civil Liberties (NCCL) President at the time, filed a complaint alleging defamation during an India TV program called "Breaking News."
He stated that Medha Patkar had damaged his reputation by accusing him on radio of accepting civil contracts from Sardar Sarovar Nigam, and he produced a CD as proof. Saxena claimed that shortly after the transmission, he sent Patkar a legal notice requesting a copy of the CD and evidence supporting her allegations. When he did not hear back, he filed the defamation lawsuit.
Although the criminal case was started in an Ahmedabad court, the Supreme Court ordered its transfer to Delhi in 2010.
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According to Judge Sharma's ruling today, Patkar's allegedly defamatory remarks are still unproven because Saxena failed to provide the original video or the equipment that recorded them.
It's crucial to remember that neither the reporter who actually captured the audio video nor anyone who witnessed the accused uttering the disputed remarks has been called as a witness. The Court stated, "It is also important to note that the clip played in the program/show appears to be only a very short clipping from an interview or press conference of the accused."
It further stated that in order to reach a decision, the full video and audio of the press conference must be shown to the court, or witnesses to the press conference or interview must testify about it.
The Court came to the conclusion that "no determination regarding the speech of the accused can be made without examining the entire clip/footage of that interview."
VK Saxena was represented by attorneys Gajinder Kumar, Kiran, Chandra Shekhar, Drishti, and Somya.
Medha Patkar was represented by advocates Sridevi Panikkar and Abhimanue Shreshtha.
Patkar was previously found guilty in a different defamation lawsuit that Saxena had filed. The trial court's conviction was upheld all the way to the Supreme Court.
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