Umamageswari Maruthappan
The Delhi Court of the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate on 1st February 2021 had reserved its verdict on a criminal defamation case filed by Ex-Union Minister MJ Akbar against journalist Priya Ramani for 10th February 2021.
The Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Pandey allowed both the parties to make their submissions. While Adv. Geetha Luthra represented Mr. Akbar, Priya Ramani was defended by Adv. Rebecca John.
During the hearing, Adv. Luthra argued that the Vogue article by the journalist was “false” and “highly imaginative”. Luthra further stated that the onus of proving the petitioner in this case exclusively lies on the accused.
It was also contended that Priya Ramani, instead of making a complaint or reaching to a public authority, chose to post her allegations on Twitter.
“You can’t call someone a predator without any basis. It is wrong,” contended Adv. Luthra.
Adv. Rebecca John negated the contentions of the petitioner and stated that though Ramani did not mention Akbar’s name in the 2017 article, it was Me too that had given her the courage to expose him. She further said that “merely because the accused had not named in 2017, it does not take away the credibility of the Allegations made at the height of the Me Too.”
She further stated that only the first four paragraphs of the Vogue article relate to the allegations against Akbar for sexual harassment. “If Priya Ramani wanted to, she could have said that the whole article was on MJ Akbar. Nothing stopped her. But here is a witness who respects the truth,” said John.
Countering the petitioner’s argument that the allegation was “fictitious”, John said that “When I recall something that happens me it is a real life story and not fictitious. You are undermining the sexual harassment that women go through at workplace”.
Further, she also stated that the onus of proving lies on Mr. Akbar “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Journalist Priya Ramani had accused the former Union Minister for sexual harassment under the #MeToo Movement in her Twitter account on 15th October 2018. The alleged complaint dates back to the year 1993 when MJ Akbar was a journalist.
Akbar, who was then serving as the Union Minister, resigned from his position on 17th October 2018. He had filed a petition against the journalist under criminal defamation after denying all the allegations.
Read also: Deletion of twitter account akin to deleting evidence: Counsel for Akbar
MJ Akbar in defamation case: Priya Ramani had no proof for accusation
