Court slaps Rs 3,000 cost on Medha Patkar, gives last chance to appear

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court today imposed a cost of Rs 3,000 on Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) activist Medha Patkar for non-appearance before it in cross-defamation cases filed by her and the head of an Ahmedabad-based NGO against each other.

Metropolitan Magistrate Vasundhra Chhaunkar slapped a cost of Rs 1,000 in each of the three defamation cases, one filed by Patkar and two by V K Saxena, President of National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL), who are involved in a legal tussle for the last 14 years, after she failed to appear in court.

The magistrate gave "last and final opportunity" to the NBA activist to appear on May 14 and produce the medical certificate for her non-appearance today.

The court, however, allowed Patkar's plea for exemption from personal appearance after her counsel informed that she was suffering from spondylosis and other related ailments.

"Counsel for accused has moved an application seeking exemption from personal appearance on medical grounds. However, no medical certificate is brought on record. Exemption allowed and last and final opportunity is granted with further direction to produce medical certificate with cost of Rs 1000 in each of the cases," the court said.

The matter was listed today for order on framing of charges against Patkar in one of the cases. In the other two cases, the court had already framed charges.

The application for exemption was opposed by Saxena's counsel Mahipal and Shubhashis Soren who said that he has been present on almost 90 per cent of the dates since 2000, after travelling all the way from Ahmedabad but the NBA activist has hardly appeared for 10 per cent of the dates.

Saxena also argued himself and complained that Patkar always seeks exemption from personal appearance. He claimed that on one occasion she did not appear on medical grounds but it was later discovered through RTI application that she was sitting on a dharna and protest.