Medha Patkar held in 23-yr-old defamation case

Social activist Medha Patkar, who was arrested by the Delhi police on Friday morning for not complying with her sentencing conditions, was later released in the day after she furnished a probation bond and deposited Rs 1 lakh as compensation at a Delhi court.

Patkar was taken into custody after a non-bailable warrant was issued against her in a 23-year-old defamation case filed by Delhi L-G VK Saxena.

The arrest came after Patkar failed to appear in court on April 23 to comply with her sentencing conditions — the formal submission of a probation bond and payment of the imposed fine.

The sessions court had granted her probation on April 8, 2025, offering her relief from a five-month simple imprisonment sentence handed down in July last year. This leniency, however, was contingent on compliance with court directives, terms she did not fulfil.

In the court on Friday, Patkar’s counsel submitted that the non-bailable warrants had been executed, affirming that the probation order remained valid as she was now present before the court.

Subsequently, the judge orally directed her release, conditional upon the furnishing of the probation bonds and payment of the compensation amount, after her counsel assured the court that the earlier order would be duly complied with.