MeToo: Judge Seeks Transfer Of M J Akbar's Case Against Priya Ramani

After hearing for two years, a court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Tuesday asked the District Judge to transfer the criminal defamation complaint of former union minister M J Akbar against journalist Priya Ramani to another judge on the ground that the court was designated to hear cases filed against lawmakers.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Vishal Pahuja, who had started the final arguments in the case on February 7 this year, said the case in hand is not filed against MP or MLA and needs to be transferred to the "Competent Court of Jurisdiction".

Pahuja said his court (court of ACMM) was designated to try the cases filed against the lawmakers by a circular passed on February 23, 2018, and since this case was “not filed against MP/MLA”, he was marking the matter to Principal District and Sessions Judge to consider re-assigning the case to another Metropolitan Magistrate.

Akbar had filed the criminal defamation complaint against Ramani in March 2018.

If transferred before another court, the judge would start hearing the final arguments again.

“As the present matter is not filed against MP/MLA, hence, cannot be tried by this court and needs to be transferred to the Competent Court of Jurisdiction."

“Let this matter be put up before the court of Principal District and Sessions Judge (Rouse Avenue District Courts) for October 14 for further appropriate orders,” the ACMM said.