Former Union Minister MJ Akbar has filed a defamation case against journalist Priya Ramani. (File)
A Delhi Court is set to pronounce the judgement on Wednesday in a criminal defamation case filed against journalist Priya Ramani by former Union Minister MJ Akbar.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Pandey will pronounce the judgement. The court recently had kept the judgement reserved after both of the parties concluded the final arguments in the matter.
Defending her case, Ms Ramani's lawyer and Senior Advocate Rebecca John urged the court to acquit her client while MJ Akbar's lawyer and Senior Advocate Geeta Luthra stressed that his image was tarnished due to allegation levelled by Ms Ramani.
Senior Advocate John told the court that Ms Ramani's Twitter account was deactivated and can be activated on the court's direction.
Senior Advocate John also questioned that the complainant for not filing any a single application to direct her client to reactivate her Twitter account.
Senior Advocate Luthra said that if Ms Ramani makes a defamatory statement after so many years, then it is her onus to prove the truth.
MJ Akbar, while advancing her final argument had questioned Journalist Priya Ramani and said she has destroyed evidence in the defamation case against her by deleting her Twitter account, which is a criminal offence.
MJ Akbar, the former Minister of State for External Affairs, had filed a defamation case against the journalist Priya Ramani for accusing him of sexual misconduct.
Ms Ramani was the first woman to accuse MJ Akbar of sexual harassment during the #MeToo campaign. The allegations levelled against him forced him to resign from the Union Cabinet on 17 October 2018.