Medha Patkar arrested in 24-year-old defamation case
New Delhi(PTI): Social activist Medha Patkar was arrested here on Friday, two days after a court issued a non-bailable warrant against her for not furnishing probation bonds in a 24-year-old defamation case, an official said.
The case was filed by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.
A police team reached Patkar's residence in southeast Delhi's Nizamuddin area in the morning and took her into custody, they said.
"We have executed the NBW and Medha Patkar has been arrested," Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East) Ravi Kumar Singh said.
The arrest comes after Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Vishal Singh on April 8 granted Patkar a one-year probation, observing that the offence did not merit imprisonment and cited her contributions as the leader of the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) and recipient of several awards.
According to the order, Patkar was directed to furnish probation bonds by April 23. However, with no compliance on record, the court issued a non-bailable warrant against her.
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IMF approves USD 206 million emergency funding for cyclone-hit Sri Lanka's recovery
Colombo (PTI): The IMF has approved an emergency funding of USD 206 million under its rapid finance instrument to help Sri Lanka “address the urgent needs arising from the catastrophic Cyclone Ditwah and preserve macroeconomic stability”.
The cyclone caused widespread destruction in the island nation and left over 643 people dead.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Washington-based International Monetary Fund (IMF) said the disaster has created urgent humanitarian and reconstruction needs, generating significant fiscal pressures and balance-of-payments needs.
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The emergency financial support provided by the IMF under the rapid finance instrument will help address these pressures, it said.
The IMF added that the cyclone devastation hit when the Fifth Review of Sri Lanka’s USD 2.9 billion bailout was nearing completion.
“Given the time needed to assess the economic impact of the cyclone and examine how an IMF-supported programme can best support Sri Lanka’s recovery and reconstruction efforts while preserving objectives and policy priorities, the Fifth Review has been deferred," it said.
"An IMF mission team will visit Sri Lanka in early 2026 to resume discussions,” it added.
The 48-month extended fund facility deal with the IMF in March 2023 carried hard reforms to Sri Lanka's welfare-based governance.
It was signed after Sri Lanka plunged into an unprecedented economic meltdown with its first-ever sovereign default.
Several hours before the IMF decision, the parliament here approved without a vote a supplementary estimate of LKR 500 billion, which the government said was required to restore the livelihoods of those affected by the disaster.
