New Delhi: A Delhi court on Tuesday granted NGO operator Medha Patkar one year of probation in a 24-year-old defamation case filed by current Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena.

Additional Sessions Judge Vishal Singh of the Saket court ruled that the offense was not serious enough for imprisonment and released her on probation for good conduct. The court also reduced the fine imposed on the 70-year-old Narmada Bachao Andolan leader from ₹10 lakh to ₹1 lakh, to be paid to Saxena.

The case dates back to a 2000 press release by Patkar titled “True Face of Patriot,” in which she allegedly called Saxena then head of a Gujarat-based NGO, a “coward” and accused him of hawala links. Saxena had supported the Sardar Sarovar Project, which the NBA opposed. The magistrate court had convicted Patkar in May 2024 and sentenced her to five months in jail in July, but the sentence was suspended and she was granted bail shortly after. DeshGujarat