Delhi HC Transfers MJ Akbar’s Appeal Against Priya Ramani’s Acquittal to MP MLA Bench

The Delhi High Court, on September 19, 2025, transferred an appeal filed by former Minister of State for External Affairs M. J. Akbar, which challenged a trial court decision that had acquitted journalist Priya Ramani in a defamation case that arose after Ramani accused Akbar of sexual harassment during the #MeToo movement.

Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri said that since Akbar is a former Member of Parliament, the matter should be heard by the designated Bench for former and sitting MPs/MLAs. Accordingly, the appeal has been placed before Justice Ravinder Dudeja and is likely to be heard on October 15.

Before the High Court, Akbar has challenged the trial court order dated February 17, 2021, by which Ramani was acquitted in the criminal defamation case. The Delhi High Court admitted the appeal in 2022 after it was filed in 2021.

Akbar, in his appeal, has contended that the trial court decided the criminal defamation case on the basis of surmises and conjecture, and proceeded as though it were a case of sexual harassment. 

In 2018, Akbar filed a criminal defamation complaint before the trial court against Priya Ramani after she accused him of sexual harassment during a job interview. Akbar alleged that her remarks, made via tweets and articles in outlets such as Vogue magazine, Firstpost, and Twitter, were defamatory and intended to damage his reputation and political standing.

He argued that the allegations pertained to an incident nearly 20 years earlier, for which no statutory complaint had been lodged at the time, contending that the accusations were a figment of her imagination.

Ramani, however, maintained that her statements were truthful and made in the public interest.

On February 17, 2021, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Pandey had acquitted Ramani after a trial of almost two years simply on the basis that the possibility of the alleged complaint could not be ruled out.

The trial court held that the “right to dignity” of a woman who has faced sexual harassment prevails over a man’s claim of “right to reputation.”It was further said that the series of happenings and the testimony of the accused and witnesses clearly proof that the complainant cannot be called a man of “stellar reputation” as submitted.

Taking note of systemic abuse at the workplace, the trial court highlighted that the Vishaka Guidelines on sexual harassment at the workplace put forth by the Supreme Court in 1997 were not in effect at the time of the incident. The trial court had said, "The court accepts the contention of the accused and the possibility of defence of the accused that she disclosed the truth regarding the incident of sexual ­harassment against her at the Oberoi Hotel, Bombay in December 1993 on the basis of testimony of accused DW1 and its corroboration by the testimony of DW2 Niloufer Venkatraman".

Ms Priya Ramani was represented by Ms. Rebecca John, Senior Advocate. Mr. MJ Akbar was represented by Mr. Rajiv Nayar, Senior Advocate and Ms. Geeta Luthra, Senior Advocate, briefed by a team from Karanjawala & Co. comprising of Mr. Sandeep Kapur, Senior Partner, Ms. Niharika Karanjawala Misra, Principal Associate and Ms. Srishti Aggarwal, Senior Associate.

Case Title: M.J. Akbar vs Priya Ramani

Hearing Date: 19 September 2025

Bench: Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri

With PTI Inputs