Delhi Court acquits journalist Priya Ramani in defamation case filed by MJ Akbar

The court order, earlier expected to be pronounced at 1400 hrs, was delayed after the judge said his judgement needed corrections.

Judge Ravindra Kumar Pandey held that the content of Priya Ramani’s Vogue article is per se defamatory, and has rejected Ramani’s claim that only two paragraphs and not the entire article were related to Akbar.

However, the court also took consideration of systemic abuse at workplace, saying, "Women can’t be punished for raising instances of sexual abuse by complaints claiming defamation."

Citing ancient epics 'Mahabharata' and 'Ramayana' in its judgement, the court said they were written to show the importance of dignity of a woman.

The bench observed that even a man of social status can be a 'sexual harasser.'

"The society must understand the impact of sexual abuse and harassment on its victims", the Court noted.

Senior counsel Rebecca John, appeared on behalf of Ramani.

In an article in the Vogue magazine, Ramani had said the alleged sexual misconduct took place around 20 years ago, when Akbar headed Asian Age.

He had called her to his hotel bedroom for a job interview and behaved inappropriately, she had said.