Priya Ramani acquitted in MJ Akbar defamation case

A Delhi court on Wednesday dismissed former Union minister MJ Akbar's criminal defamation complaint against journalist Priya Ramani.

In his defamation suit, MJ Akbar had claimed that Priya Ramani caused damage to his "stellar reputation" by accusing him of sexual harassment in an article written in 2017 and a tweet posted in 2018. Ramani countered Akbar saying that she said what actually happened. "Truth is my defence," Priya Ramani said.

While delivering the verdict, the Rouse Avenue House Court observed that "even a man of social status can be a sexual harasser".

In its verdict, the court accepted that "MJ Akbar was not a man of stellar reputation".

Priya Ramani's MeToo charges against Akbar

Ramani's charge against MJ Akbar had come in the backdrop of a global MeToo campaign that began with a series of allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein in the US in 2017. Ramani wrote an article in 2017 titled, "To the Harvey Weinsteins of the World".

She said, "Everyone said you had transformed Indian journalism and I wanted to be on your team. So, we set a time you could interview me at the plush south Mumbai hotel where you always stayed."

"It was more date, less interview. You offered me a drink from the mini bar (I refused, you drank vodka), we sat on a small table for two that overlooked the Queen's Necklace (how romantic!) and you sang me old Hindi songs after inquiring after my musical preferences. You thought you were irresistible."

"The bed, a scary interview accompaniment, was already turned down for the night. Come sit here, you said at one point, gesturing to a tiny space near you. I'm fine, I replied with a strained smile. I escaped that night, you hired me, I worked for you for many months even though I swore I would never be in a room alone with you again."

In her article, Ramani did not name Akbar. A year later, when MeToo campaign picked up in India, Ramani revealed on Twitter that she spoke about Akbar, who was the editor of a national daily at the time of the alleged incident.