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Delhi HC grants early hearing in MJ Akbar’s plea against Priya Ramani’s acquittal in defamation case

The trial court had acquitted Ramani in the defamation case in 2021, recording that even a man of social status can be a sexual harasser.

priya ramaniAkbar had first filed the defamation case against Ramani in 2018 before a trial court after she levelled sexual harassment allegations against him during the #MeToo movement in India.

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday advanced the hearing of an appeal by former BJP union minister and journalist M J Akbar against a trial court order acquitting journalist Priya Ramani in a defamation case in connection with the sexual harassment allegations against him.

While the appeal was listed for hearing on May 7, Akbar filed an application in the pending appeal and sought an early hearing. Taken up briefly by Justice Ravinder Dudeja, with senior counsel Rajiv Nayar, appearing for Akbar, the court has now set the hearing to March 16.

Meanwhile, Ramani’s counsel, senior advocate Rebecca John and advocate Anushka Baruah, informed the court that there is “no real pressing urgency”.

Case background

Akbar had first filed the defamation case against Ramani in 2018 before a trial court after she levelled sexual harassment allegations against him during the #MeToo movement in India.

Akbar had accused Ramani of damaging his reputation by way of tweets and articles published in print and online media, after Ramani accused Akbar of sexual misconduct and harassment in the defamation proceedings before a trial court.

The trial court had acquitted Ramani in the defamation case on February 17, 2021. It had taken into consideration the “systematic abuse at the workplace” that was prevalent, due to the lack of a mechanism to redress the grievance of sexual-harassment. It had also recorded that even a man of social status can be a sexual harasser, and had held, “right of reputation can’t be protected at the cost of right to dignity.”

Challenging the acquittal, Akbar had then moved Delhi HC in 2021, which was admitted by the court in 2022.

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The Delhi HC in September had transferred the appeal to the designated court for hearing criminal matters of sitting and former MPs and MLAs.

Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court Professional Profile Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express. Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare). Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others. She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020. With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles: High-Profile Case Coverage She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy. Signature Style Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read More

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