#MeToo: MJ Akbar Loses Defamation Case Against Priya Ramani

<div>Following a trial which lasted almost two years and became one of India’s most high-profile cases arising out of the #MeToo movement, a Delhi trial court on Wednesday, 17 February acquitted journalist Priya Ramani in the criminal defamation case filed against her by former Union Minister MJ Akbar.<br> <br> </div> <div>In the criminal defamation suit, Akbar had claimed that an article by Ramani, written for <em>Vogue</em> in 2017 amid the #MeToo movement, and a subsequent tweet about him in 2018 when the movement was sweeping India, caused damage to his “stellar reputation”.<br> <br> </div> <div>Ramani had contested these claims pleading truth, good faith, public interest and public good as her defences in the defamation trial – and as the court pronounced its verdict on 17 February, it observed that these defences raised by her were justified in light of systemic abuse of women at the workplace.<br> <br> The acquittal order was scheduled to be pronounced by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Pandey at 2 pm. However, the parties were asked to reconvene in 30 minutess by the judge to make some minor corrections to the verdict.</div> <div>When the court reconvened, Judge Pandey noted the following in the order: “Right of reputation can't be protected at the cost of right to dignity”<br> <br> </div> <div>The judge also noted that a man of "stellar reputation" can also be a sexual harasser and that “the Indian Constitution allows a woman to put forward her grievance before any forum, and at any time, even after decades.”<br> <br> </div> <div>What does this victory mean? What next for MJ Akbar?<br> <br> <strong>Producer and Host: </strong>Himmat Shaligram</div> <div> <strong>Guest:<br> </strong>Priya Ramani, the defendant in the case and a senior journalist,</div> <div>Vakasha Sachdev, Legal Editor for The Quint<br> and Karan Tripathi, Legal Consultant for The Quint</div> <div> <strong>Editor:</strong> Shelly Walia</div> <div><br> </div> <div> <strong>Music: