The Saket Court in Delhi on Friday convicted Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar in a defamation case filed against her by Delhi's Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena.
Metropolitan Magistrate Raghav Sharma found Patkar guilty of criminal defamation.
Under relevant laws, social activist Patkar could face up to 2 years of imprisonment, a fine, or both.
The Saket Court, while convicting Medha Patkar, stated, "The allegations made by the accused against the complainant were not only defamatory but were also aimed at arousing negative sentiments by labeling the complainant as cowardly, unpatriotic, and involved in hawala transactions."
The case between Patkar and Saxena has been an ongoing legal battle since the year 2000, when Patkar filed a lawsuit against Saxena for publishing advertisements against her and the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA).
At that time, Saxena was the head of the non-governmental organization (NGO) National Council for Civil Liberties based in Ahmedabad.
Saxena, in turn, filed two cases against Patkar for making derogatory comments against him on a television channel and issuing defamatory statements to the press.