Archive · 2 Oct 2026
Vadodara Court Jails Sandesh Editor in 1999 Defamation Case
A court in Vadodara found newspaper editor Falgun Chimanbhai Patel guilty in a defamation case.
The case began after a 1999 report in Sandesh about government official Gambhirsinh Dekare.
Dekare said the report made damaging claims about him.
He said it hurt how people viewed him.
The court said the newspaper had not asked Dekare for his side.
It also said the allegations were not checked before publication.
Patel argued that he worked from the Ahmedabad office and was not directly involved in the Vadodara edition.
The court rejected that argument and sentenced him to 20 days in jail and a Rs 15,000 fine.
Vadodara court convicted Sandesh editor-in-chief Falgun Chimanbhai Patel in a 1999 criminal defamation case.
The case concerned a September 28, 1999, Sandesh report about then-mamlatdar Gambhirsinh Dekare.
The court sentenced Patel to 20 days of simple imprisonment and fined him Rs 15,000.
Dekare alleged the report made serious defamatory claims and damaged his reputation.
The court said the allegations were published without seeking Dekare’s version or verifying them.
- Who
- Falgun Chimanbhai Patel, editor-in-chief of Sandesh, and complainant Gambhirsinh Dekare, then a Vadodara mamlatdar.
- What
- A Vadodara court convicted Patel in a criminal defamation case and sentenced him to 20 days’ simple imprisonment and fined him Rs 15,000.
- When
- The disputed report was published on September 28, 1999; the court delivered its verdict on a Wednesday.
- Where
- Vadodara, Gujarat; the report was published from Vadodara, while Patel said he was based at the Ahmedabad office.
- Why
- Dekare alleged that the report contained serious defamatory allegations that damaged his reputation, and the court found that his version had not been sought or the allegations verified.
Court’s Findings
Editor’s Defense
Responsibility for the report
Court’s Findings
The court held Patel legally responsible as the newspaper’s editor and found that the allegations were published without seeking Dekare’s version or verifying them.
Editor’s Defense
Patel argued that he was based at the Ahmedabad office and had no direct involvement in the Vadodara edition.
- Court
- Judicial Magistrate First Class court in Vadodara
- Convicted person
- Falgun Chimanbhai Patel, editor-in-chief of Sandesh
- Complainant
- Gambhirsinh Dekare, then Vadodara mamlatdar
- Report date
- September 28, 1999
- Sentence
- 20 days of simple imprisonment
- Fine
- Rs 15,000
- Court finding
- The report was published without obtaining Dekare’s version or verifying the allegations