Sensationalisation of Court Proceedings by V K Saxena is Deliberate and Defamatory – Clarification by Medha Patkar, May 29, 2017
Continuing with the past record, where Mr V K Saxena uses every occasion to defame and spread lies against me and Narmada Bachao Andolan, today he has again issued a press release distorting the facts on record.
“Mr. V K Saxena, in controversy for putting Prime Minister Modi’s image on the Gandhi Calendar, is a former Chief Executive Officer of Dholera Port Project, of Adani, who in the garb of being the President of National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL), an NGO, has been responsible for a number of defamatory paid advertisements against NBA and me in past. He has also filed cases against me in Supreme Court of India, which got dismissed there. Supreme Court while, disposing off one of the Cases remarked it as akin to ‘Private Interest Litigation’ and imposed a cost on him for filing such frivolous cases and impinging on the time of the Honourable Court. Mr. Saxena has also filed cases against Ashish Nandy, eminent Political Scientist and Mallika Sarabhai, eminent Dancer and Theater personality, which he lost at the Supreme Court.
He is one of the accused in the case related to physical attack on me and others at Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad, during a peace meeting after the riots, held in 2002. The case against him is ongoing before the Magistrate’s Court in Ahmedabad.
I have filed two cases of defamation against him and since the case was revived from the High Court, I have been regularly attending the hearings except when some genuine health related or any other pressing reasons have prevented me. On an earlier occasion, Mr. Saxena challenged the medical certificate before the Magistrate at Saket Court through an application which was rejected by the Court. Mr. Saxena has deliberately concealed this information and rather tried to impress upon the fact that I have not been appearing and he has always appeared for the case.
Mr. Saxena too didn’t attend previous hearings earlier which I did, but my advocate, Shri V.K Ohri has never pressed for fine or asked for warrant out of courtesy and showed leniency. As of now there is an emergency situation in Narmada Valley, where 192 villages are faced with forcible eviction and I have been engaged in massive public meetings with people, officials and other district authorities. The emergency situation in the valley today prevented me from appearing in the Court today, which Mr Saxena, after distorting the facts and in a clear attempt at defaming me, used to press for sanction and warrant from the Court. Mr. Saxena through his lawyer has always insisted on imposing a fine and then spreading lies and sensationalise the matter in press.
VK Saxena continues to spread lies about NBA and me in media and social media and uses every possible strategy including filing cases in the Courts. We have constantly raised the issue of Narmada water Diversion from SSP for the Dholera Special Investment Region, Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor, Coca-cola Plant, motor car industries etc where Adani industries has an interest and Mr. Saxena has been engaged in defaming me for pecuniary benefits arising from these. The water from Narmada Canals are meant for irrigation and drinking purposes in the drought affected Kutch region of Gujarat but instead is being diverted for industries.
NBA has been fighting for three decades now for justice for the lakhs of farmers and adivasis affected by Sardar Sarovar Dam in a non-violent and democratic way. We have utmost regard for the Judiciary and have always cooperated with the due process of law and appeared in the Courts across India.”