New Delhi, Sep 14 - A city court Monday rejected Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar's plea to allow her not to appear in the court and also imposed a fine of Rs.500 on her.

Patkar is facing two cases of criminal defamation. Metropolitan Magistrate Munish Markan posted the matter for hearing and recording of pre-summoning evidence in the two cases for Feb 7, 2010.

The social activist had filed a criminal defamation case in Delhi against V.K. Saxena, president of the Ahmedabad-based NGO National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL), in 2000.

Saxena had also filed a criminal defamation case against Patkar in Ahmedabad in 2001 for accusing him of making payments through cheques to an NGO in Malegaon in Maharashtra.

The case was transferred to Delhi by the Supreme Court on Patkar's plea.