The story of the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) and its leader, Medha Patkar, has long been portrayed in certain quarters as a heroic struggle of the marginalized against a oppressive state.
The recent emergence of explosive documentary evidence has shed new light on the controversial career of Medha Patkar. Through a combination of confidential email exchanges, court documents, and investigative findings, a disturbing pattern of foreign interference, judicial manipulation, and anti-national activities has come to the forefront. This detailed investigation examines the serious allegations against one of India’s most prominent activists.
The Berkeley Address: A Direct Appeal For Foreign Intervention
The most damning evidence comes from Patkar’s own words during her address at Berkeley University in California, where she made a direct appeal to her foreign audience for support against Indian national projects. In the recorded video, Patkar explicitly states that their movement “requires the support of you all in many ways, somewhat similar to what happened in the case of Narmada”.
Listen to this blatant anti national appeal of @medhanarmada to her foreign funders in America at Berkeley.
Asks for foreign meddling in India and also admits that they supported her in opposing Sardar Sarovar Project that had a national political consensus in its favor.
They… pic.twitter.com/gxM367dzdw
— BALA (@erbmjha) September 8, 2025
Her speech reveals several troubling aspects:
- Direct solicitation of foreign interference in Indian infrastructure projects with national consensus
- Admission that foreign supporters had previously helped in opposing the Sardar Sarovar Project
- Portrayal of Indian government as an adversary requiring international pressure to counter
- Misrepresentation of herself as speaking for India when she was actually representing her NGO funded by World Bank.
Patkar’s statement that “across India, almost every dam is challenged today” demonstrates a systematic campaign against India’s infrastructure development, often with foreign backing. Her reference to the “National Alliance of People’s Movements” organizing conventions in the Narmada Valley further reveals the coordinated nature of these anti-development activities.
Explosive Email Evidence: Supreme Court Manipulation Exposed
The most shocking revelations come from confidential email exchanges between Patkar and Patrick McCully of the International Rivers Network (IRN), a Berkeley-based organization. These emails, submitted to External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee in 2007 by Congress leader Dr. Urmilaben Patel, reveal a deeply disturbing pattern of judicial manipulation.
Timeline Of Judicial Interference
The email evidence shows a systematic attempt to influence Supreme Court proceedings:
July 10, 2007, 11:00 AM: Supreme Court dismisses PIL against NBA seeking CBI probe
11:26 AM: News posted on Times of India website
12:03 PM: Patkar sends judgment details to Patrick McCully within 36 minutes of verdict
McCully’s Telling Response
Patrick McCully’s reply on July 12 reveals the shocking nature of their operation: “How did you manage this? Who was the second judge?” This question clearly implies advance knowledge of judicial manipulation.
Patkar’s Confession Of Pressure Tactics
Patkar’s response on July 13 is perhaps the most damaging admission: “Many eminent persons wrote to the UPA government…we dealt with the press selectively and ensured that pressure was kept all through”. This constitutes a clear confession of orchestrating pressure campaigns to influence judicial outcomes.
Plans To “Honor” Supreme Court Judge
The most scandalous aspect emerges in McCully’s July 17 email suggesting they “honor Judge Kabir for supporting you” and noting he “will retire in 2013 – a very useful man for your future battles”. This reveals a calculated strategy to cultivate and reward judges for favorable verdicts.
Patkar’s response acknowledges the sensitivity: “apart from advocates no one would like to be acknowledged for writing to pressurize the government. That might boomerang”, clearly indicating awareness of the impropriety of their actions.
Financial Irregularities And Money Laundering
The Enforcement Directorate filed an FIR against Patkar in April 2022 for money laundering during her Narmada Bachao Andolan activities. The investigation revealed:
₹1.2 crore received by Narmada Navnirman Abhiyan within a single year of formation in 2004
20 identical donations of ₹5,96,294 each received on a single day (18 June 2005)
One donor was a minor at the time of fund transfer (No.17 in above image)
₹13.5 crore collected over 14 years with unclear sources and expenditures
Misrepresentation Of Financial Status
During court proceedings, Patkar declared her annual income as merely ₹6,000, while investigations revealed ₹19 lakh in her savings account. This deliberate misrepresentation of financial status constitutes perjury and fraud.
Missing Educational Funds
The most serious allegation involves ₹13 crore supposedly collected for tribal children’s education that remains unaccounted for. Despite claims of providing residential educational facilities, investigations found no proper audit trail for these substantial funds.
The Anti-National Testimony
Perhaps the most blatant act was Patkar’s testimony before the US House of Representatives in the 1990s. She presented herself as a representative of the Indian people, claiming the World Bank and the Government of India were together against the people of the Narmada Valley. She sought international intervention against the Sardar Sarovar Project, an essential national infrastructure project, effectively inviting a foreign power to meddle in India’s internal affairs. This act alone, exposed point-by-point by V.K. Saxena in Indian courts, stands as a testament to an agenda that prioritized foreign validation over national interest.
None exposed and brought to book the fraud Medha Patkar as effectively as the current @LtGovDelhi, VK Saxena did. Calling out her testimony to the US House of Representatives, point by point, Saxena put the facts before Courts and got her punished even by the Supreme Court.
She… https://t.co/7yY4quyTeN pic.twitter.com/xzMgcpiG76
— BALA (@erbmjha) September 2, 2025
The Sardar Sarovar Project: 20 Years Of Denying Water To Gujarat
The human cost of Medha Patkar’s activism is quantified in the parched lands of Kutch and Saurashtra in Gujarat. For decades, these regions faced severe water scarcity. The Sardar Sarovar Dam project was the definitive solution, designed to provide drinking water and irrigation to millions and generate hydropower for four states.
Patkar’s NBA waged a relentless war against raising the dam’s height from 121.92 meters to 138.68 meters, claiming it would displace 40,000 families and destroy tribal culture. Despite comprehensive rehabilitation packages offered by the government, the opposition continued, often turning violent with reports of government surveyors being attacked.
Patkar’s sustained opposition to the Sardar Sarovar Project resulted in catastrophic consequences:
A 20-Year Delay: The project was stalled for over two decades due to agitations and political apathy from the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre.
Escalating Cost: The project’s cost ballooned from ₹4,400 crore to a staggering ₹44,000 crore, a financial burden borne by the Indian public.
Denied Basic Rights: Crores of people in Gujarat were denied their fundamental right to clean drinking water for a generation.
Project Timeline and Delays
1987: Construction began with 1997 completion target
1997: Original completion date missed due to NBA agitation
2009: Project 5 years behind schedule, new target set for 2014
2014: Modi government clears final approvals
2017: Narmada water finally reaches Kutch
2022: Project reaches its furthest extent, vindicating its utility
Human Cost Of Delays
The delay caused by Patkar’s movement had devastating humanitarian consequences:
- Crores of people in drought-prone areas continued suffering water scarcity
- Agricultural productivity remained constrained for decades
- Economic development of Gujarat’s arid regions was severely hampered
- Electricity generation for four states was postponed
Legal Battles And Judicial Victories Against Patkar
VK Saxena, currently Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor, systematically exposed Patkar’s false claims and secured multiple judicial victories:
Supreme Court Conviction (August 2025): The Supreme Court confirmed Patkar’s conviction in the 2001 defamation case, though waiving the ₹1 lakh penalty. The conviction stands as a permanent stain on her record.
Delhi High Court Upholds Conviction: On 29 July 2024, the Delhi High Court rejected Patkar’s appeal and maintained her conviction, noting her statements were clearly defamatory.
Non-Bailable Warrant: In April 2025, a Delhi court issued a non-bailable warrant against Patkar for deliberately avoiding court orders, demonstrating her contempt for judicial processes.
Pattern Of Anti-National Activities
Patkar’s career shows a consistent pattern of opposing infrastructure projects vital to India’s development:
- Sardar Sarovar Dam: 20-year delay causing massive cost escalation
- Kovvada Nuclear Project: Opposition to clean energy initiatives
- Various hydroelectric projects: Systematic campaign against power generation
- Tata Singur Plant: Patkar also protested against the setting up of the Tata Nano plant in Singur, WB
- JSW Steel project in Odisha: Patkar opposed the JSW steel project in Odisha citing environmental reasons.
Foreign Funding And International Lobbying
Circumstantial evidence suggests there is significant foreign hand and international lobbying that is supporting Patkar’s protests:
- International Rivers Network support from Berkeley
- Appeals to US House of Representatives misrepresenting India’s position
- Goldman Prize money under scrutiny by US authorities
- Coordination with foreign anti-dam networks as revealed in emails
Research Contradicts Patkar’s Claims
Studies have indicated that Patkar’s claims are not essentially true. Here are a few:
National Bureau Of Economic Research Study
Research by the NBER found that tribal families resettled from Sardar Sarovar were significantly better off than those who remained in forest areas. The study specifically contradicted Patkar’s claims about cultural and economic damage, showing:
- Better socio-economic conditions for resettled families
- Intact cultural traditions despite relocation
- Desire among non-resettled families to now seek resettlement after seeing improved living standards
Project Success Vindicated
The eventual completion of Sardar Sarovar has conclusively proven the project’s benefits:
- Water reaching the tail-end of Kutch in July 2022
- 4 crore people receiving water and electricity as promised
- Agricultural transformation in previously arid regions
- Industrial development enabled by reliable power and water supply
Patkar’s Political Connections And Continuing Influence
Patkar has survived all these years because of her political connections, let’s take a look at them:
AAP
Despite her controversial record, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) fielded Patkar as their Lok Sabha candidate in 2014 and reportedly considered projecting her as a Chief Ministerial candidate for Gujarat.
Congress
She was seen joining hands and walking with Congress scion Rahul Gandhi.
But the fact is that Congress leader Dr. Urmilaben Patel formally submitted evidence of Patkar’s judicial manipulation to the External Affairs Ministry demonstrates concerns even within opposition parties about her activities.
Medha Patkar: A Cautionary Tale
The Medha Patkar case represents one of the most serious examples of how foreign-funded activism can compromise national interests while masquerading as social justice. The documentary evidence of judicial manipulation, systematic deception, and anti-national activities demands serious attention from law enforcement agencies and the judiciary.
Medha Patkar is not a mere activist; she is the face of a sophisticated ecosystem that operates through a well-established playbook: orchestrated agitations, strategic litigation, international lobbying, manipulating media narratives, and allegedly compromising domestic institutions. While dressed in the language of human rights and environmentalism, the outcome of her work has been undeniably anti-development and anti-poor.
The story of the Narmada is not one of her successes, but a tragic tale of how millions were held hostage for decades by an agenda that was anything but altruistic. The long-delayed water in the canals of Kutch is not just a victory of engineering; it is the final, quiet rebuttal to a decades-long campaign against India’s progress.
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