Delhi court acquits Priya Ramani in M J Akbar defamation case

The court rejected his complaint saying that even a man of social status can be a sexual harasser

A Delhi court on Wednesday acquitted journalist Priya Ramani in a defamation complaint filed by former Union Minister M J Akbar against sexual harassment charges levelled during the #MeToo campaign, saying the right of reputation cannot be protected at the cost of the right to life and dignity.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Pandey said that the woman cannot be punished for raising voice against sexual abuse on the pretext of criminal complaint of defamation.

The 91-page judgement came as a blow to Akbar, a veteran journalist, who had to resign as the Minister of State for External Affairs in 2018 after Ramani and other women shared their "trauma related to sexual harassment" during his stint as the editor of various publications.

After the verdict, Ramani said that she felt vindicated and her counsel senior advocate Rebecca M John said that truth was her defence.

Maintaining that sexual abuse, if committed against woman, takes away her dignity and self-confidence, the court said the attack on the character of sexual abuser or offender by the victim is a reaction of self-defence after the mental trauma she suffered regarding the shame attached with the crime committed against her.

Read: I feel amazing, I feel vindicated: Priya Ramani on M J Akbar defamation case acquittal

The court rejected Akbar's contention that allegations were made decades later to tarnish his reputation.

"Women have a right to put her grievance at any platform of her choice and even after decades," the judgment said.

The court also accepted the contention of Ramani that Akbar is not a man of stellar reputation on the basis of the testimony of her and then senior colleague Ghazala Wahab.

Ramani took the defence that publications of the article and tweet were made for public good about the true incident of her sexual harassment of December 1993 at Oberoi Hotel, Mumbai when Akbar called her for an interview at 07.00 pm in his bedroom of the hotel and sexually harassed her.

"It is shameful that the incidents of crime and violence against women are happening in the country where mega epics such as “Mahabarata” and “Ramayana” were written around the theme of respect for women," the court said.

Akbar, in his complaint, contended he has never done anything to her, still has intentionally put forward malicious, fabricated and salacious imputations to harm his reputation. The court, however, rejected his complaint saying even a man of social status can be a sexual harasser.