India, April 23 -- New Delhi

The Delhi high court on Tuesday declined to postpone the execution of a sessions court order releasing activist Medha Patkar on probation in a 2001 criminal defamation case filed by Delhi lieutenant governor VK Saxena.

On April 8, sessions judge Vishal Singh had granted Patkar probation, directing her to deposit Rs.1 lakh as compensation and furnish a personal bond of Rs.25,000 by April 23. The court noted that Patkar, leader of the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), was a person of repute with no prior convictions. The order came after Patkar appealed a May 24 ruling by a metropolitan magistrate that denied her relief and sentenced her to five months in jail.

On Tuesday, Patkar's counsel sought a two-week defer...