#MeToo: Delhi court acquits Priya Ramani in MJ Akbar criminal defamation case
Delhi court dismissed former Union Minister MJ Akbar’s criminal defamation complaint against journalist Priya Ramani for her tweets accusing him of sexual harassment.
FollowDelhi court acquitted journalist Priya Ramani in MJ Akbar's criminal defamation complaint on her allegations of sexual harassment against him.
Noting that a woman has the right to put her grievance even after decades, the Delhi court Wednesday told Priya Ramani, “you are acquitted from the present case.”
Reading out the order, the court said that there are social stigma attached with the allegations. Society must understand the impact of sexual abuse and harassment on its victims, and added, “A woman has right to put her grievance even after decades”.
The order was pronounced by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Pandey after it was reserved on February 1.
Ramani claimed that in December 1993, MJ Akbar sexually harassed her when she was called to The Oberoi, Mumbai for a job interview.
In October 2018, MJ Akbar had filed a criminal defamation complaint against Ramani after she took to Twitter to level allegations of sexual misconduct against him.
While Ramani pleaded truth, good faith, public interest and public good as her defence in the defamation trial, Akbar denied the meeting at the hotel.
He resigned as Union minister on October 17, 2018. He has denied all the allegations of sexual harassment against the women who came forward during #MeToo campaign against him.
