<p>New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked a trial court to fix after May 20 a defamation case filed by activist Medha Patkar against Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena in 2000.</p>.<p>The Narmada Bachao Andolan leader filed the case against Saxena for allegedly publishing a defamatory advertisement when he headed an NGO in Gujarat.</p>.<p>Justice Shalinder Kaur asked the trial court to list the defamation case, fixed for final arguments, after May 20, the day the high court is scheduled to hear Patkar's plea seeking to examine a new witness in the case.</p>.Senior designations: SC directs Delhi HC to consider applications of rejected, deferred candidates.<p>"The trial court is directed to give the date of hearing post the date given by this court," the judge said.</p>.<p>The high court passed the direction on Patkar's plea seeking a stay on trial court's proceedings in the defamation case.</p>.<p>The application was filed in a pending petition of Patkar challenging a trial court's March 18 order dismissing her plea to examine a new witness in the case.</p>.<p>During the day's hearing, the high court was informed that on March 28, the trial court listed the matter on April 19 for final arguments.</p>.<p>Urging the court to stay the trial court proceedings, the counsel said if the proceedings were not stayed, the petition before the high court would be infructuous.</p>.<p>On March 27, the high court issued notice to Saxena on Patkar's plea against the trial court order.</p>.<p>Saxena's counsel submitted that a reply to the petition was not yet filed and sought the trial court to hear the final arguments in the 24-year-old case.</p>.<p>On March 18, the trial court dismissed Patkar's plea to examine a new and additional witness and said the judicial process could not be "held hostage to such tactics".</p>.<p>The present case, it said, was pending for 24 years and the complainant had already examined all the witnesses listed initially at the time of filing of the complaint.</p>.<p>The trial court said if parties were permitted to introduce new witnesses arbitrarily at a belated stage, trials would become never-ending.</p>.<p>Patkar moved the application before the trial court on February 17 seeking to examine an additional witness, Nandita Narain, saying she was "relevant to the facts in the present matter".</p>.<p>Saxena's counsel had opposed the plea, saying it was filed after a gap of 24 years to delay the judicial proceedings and defeats the ends of justice.</p>.<p>Patkar and Saxena have been locked in a legal tussle since 2000 after she filed the present case against him for allegedly publishing advertisements against her and the Narmada Bachao Andolan.</p>.<p>Saxena, who then headed an Ahmedabad-based NGO Council for Civil Liberties, also filed two cases against Patkar in 2001 for allegedly making derogatory remarks against him on a TV channel and for issuing a defamatory press statement.</p>.<p>In one of the cases filed by Saxena, a Delhi court sentenced Patkar to five months' simple imprisonment on July 1, 2024. </p>
<p>New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked a trial court to fix after May 20 a defamation case filed by activist Medha Patkar against Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena in 2000.</p>.<p>The Narmada Bachao Andolan leader filed the case against Saxena for allegedly publishing a defamatory advertisement when he headed an NGO in Gujarat.</p>.<p>Justice Shalinder Kaur asked the trial court to list the defamation case, fixed for final arguments, after May 20, the day the high court is scheduled to hear Patkar's plea seeking to examine a new witness in the case.</p>.Senior designations: SC directs Delhi HC to consider applications of rejected, deferred candidates.<p>"The trial court is directed to give the date of hearing post the date given by this court," the judge said.</p>.<p>The high court passed the direction on Patkar's plea seeking a stay on trial court's proceedings in the defamation case.</p>.<p>The application was filed in a pending petition of Patkar challenging a trial court's March 18 order dismissing her plea to examine a new witness in the case.</p>.<p>During the day's hearing, the high court was informed that on March 28, the trial court listed the matter on April 19 for final arguments.</p>.<p>Urging the court to stay the trial court proceedings, the counsel said if the proceedings were not stayed, the petition before the high court would be infructuous.</p>.<p>On March 27, the high court issued notice to Saxena on Patkar's plea against the trial court order.</p>.<p>Saxena's counsel submitted that a reply to the petition was not yet filed and sought the trial court to hear the final arguments in the 24-year-old case.</p>.<p>On March 18, the trial court dismissed Patkar's plea to examine a new and additional witness and said the judicial process could not be "held hostage to such tactics".</p>.<p>The present case, it said, was pending for 24 years and the complainant had already examined all the witnesses listed initially at the time of filing of the complaint.</p>.<p>The trial court said if parties were permitted to introduce new witnesses arbitrarily at a belated stage, trials would become never-ending.</p>.<p>Patkar moved the application before the trial court on February 17 seeking to examine an additional witness, Nandita Narain, saying she was "relevant to the facts in the present matter".</p>.<p>Saxena's counsel had opposed the plea, saying it was filed after a gap of 24 years to delay the judicial proceedings and defeats the ends of justice.</p>.<p>Patkar and Saxena have been locked in a legal tussle since 2000 after she filed the present case against him for allegedly publishing advertisements against her and the Narmada Bachao Andolan.</p>.<p>Saxena, who then headed an Ahmedabad-based NGO Council for Civil Liberties, also filed two cases against Patkar in 2001 for allegedly making derogatory remarks against him on a TV channel and for issuing a defamatory press statement.</p>.<p>In one of the cases filed by Saxena, a Delhi court sentenced Patkar to five months' simple imprisonment on July 1, 2024. </p>