HC SEEKS RAMANI’S REPLY ON AKBAR’S PLEA AGAINST TRIAL COURT VERDICT

The Delhi high court on Wednesday admitted former Union minister MJ Akbar’s appeal against a trial court order acquitting journalist Priya Ramani in a criminal defamation suit filed by Akbar in 2018 after Ramani accused him of sexual misconduct.

Justice Mukta Gupta issued notice to Ramani on the appeal and listed it for further hearing on January 13.

Appearing for Akbar, senior advocates Rajiv Nayar and Geeta Luthra contended that the trial court erroneously acquitted Ramani in spite of concluding that her allegations were defamatory in nature.

In his appeal, Akbar said that the trial court had decided the case as though it was a sexual harassment case instead of a defamation case. “The impugned judgement, being based on surmises and conjecture, cannot stand muster even from a prima facie view, and therefore, is liable to be set aside,” he said.

On Wednesday, senior counsel Luthra contended that the trial court handed out the verdict without considering any objections raised during the trial. “Nothing is decided...objections are not decided or looked into,” she said.

The HC judge said that finding any content defamatory is the “first step”, after which the trial court has to consider the defence of the accused. “The trial court says per se they are defamatory but in the context of which she made the allegations, there was a valid defence,” Justice Gupta stated.

NEW DELHI: