MeToo case: Delhi HC issues notice to Priya Ramani on MJ Akbar's appeal

Akbar had challenged the trial court's 17 February order acquitting Ramani in the case on grounds that a woman has the right to put grievances before any platform of her choice even after decades. The court further said that the right of reputation cannot be protected at the cost of the right to dignity.

New Delhi:The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued a notice to journalist Priya Ramani on the appeal of former Union Minister MJ Akbar. The Court issued the notice to Ramani challenging a trial court order quashing the criminal defamation case against Ramani filed by Akbar. Justice Mukta Gupta has ordered the next hearing of the case on January 13, 2022.

Earlier, on February 17, the Rouse Avenue Court, while dismissing the defamation case of MJ Akbar, acquitted Priya Ramani. Akbar had challenged the trial court's 17 February order acquitting Ramani in the case on grounds that a woman has the right to put grievances before any platform of her choice even after decades. The court further said that the right of reputation cannot be protected at the cost of the right to dignity. Women cannot be punished for raising voice against the sexual abuse in the pretext of complaint of defamation.

The trial court had said it was shameful that crimes against women are taking place in a country where mega epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana were written about respecting them.

READ:#MeToo: Court acquits Ramani in defamation case filed by MJ Akbar

Ramani had made an allegation of sexual misconduct against Akbar in the wake of the #MeToo movement. In 2017, Ramani wrote an article for a magazine where she described her ordeal of being sexually harassed by a former boss during her job interview for his publication.

One year later, she revealed that the person alluded to her harasser in the article was MJ Akbar.

Akbar had filed the complaint against Ramani on October 15, 2018, for allegedly defaming him by accusing him of sexual misconduct decades ago. He resigned as Union minister on October 17, 2018. The trial began in 2019 and went on for almost two years.

He has denied all the allegations of sexual harassment against the women who came forward during the #MeToo campaign against him. The judgement in the case is important as it sets a precedent for similar cases which arose from the discourse-changing #MeToo movement.