MJ Akbar moves Delhi HC against Priya Ramani, challenges trial court order

Former Union Minister Mubashar Jawed Akbar approached the Delhi High Court to challenge a trial court order which had dismissed the criminal defamation case filed by him against journalist Ramani

Former Union Minister Mubashar Jawed Akbar on Wednesday approached the Delhi High Court to challenge a trial court order which had dismissed the criminal defamation case filed by him against journalist Priya Ramani.

The Bench of Justice Mukta Gupta is scheduled to hear the matter on Thursday.

Akbar had challenged the trial court order passed on February 17, which acquitted Ramani in the defamation case filed against her over the allegations of sexual harassment.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Pandey while passing the judgement, had said, "Indian women are capable and the way should be paved for them to excel. They only require freedom and equality."

The 'glass ceiling' will not prevent Indian women as a roadblock for their advancement in society if equal opportunities and social protection are given to them, the court had said.

Ramani during cross-examination submitted that she had no "malafide" and "extraneous" motive for making the allegations of sexual harassment against the former union minister.

"It is wrong to suggest that my conduct as a journalist has been unethical as I had neither identified my sources nor attributed credits" she had said.Akbar, the former Minister of State for External Affairs, had filed a defamation case against the journalist Ramani for accusing him of sexual misconduct.

Ramani was the first woman to accuse Akbar of sexual harassment during the #MeToo campaign. The allegations levelled against him forced him to resign from the Union Cabinet on October 17, 2018.