[Live Updates] M J Akbar vs Priya Ramani Criminal Defamation Case Final Hearing

The matter posted tomorrow. If hearing doesn't take place tomorrow, to be taken up on March 17.

Hearing adjourned for the day. Next hearing date to be announced later.

Luthra : There was occasion, there was opportunity to complaint. But to attack a person behind their back on social media, knowing the family, wife will be affected is not done.

Luthra : Law prescribes limitation for a reason. Contemporaneous in time, a person will have witnesses. 2 years 3 years limitation is there for a reason. Many years after, it is difficult to establish the falsity of allegations.

Luthra : When he is pulled down, everyone near and dear is affected. There is no due process in making these allegations. At the toss of a coin you make allegations. This kind of casualness is what we need to be careful against.

Luthra : You are sowing a seed of suspicion in everyone who are associated to him. His near and dear ones are affected. It has a cascading effect.

Referring to precedents, Luthra submits- Even if two reasonable men thought it lowered my reputation, there is defamation. Even if the intention wasn't to defame.

Luthra : My whole case is it was an intentional, deliberate allegation. And knowledge has to be imputed as of a reasonable person. 

Luthra : Two things I want to show- that the statements were per se defamatory, and it was intentional and mala fide.

There has been no suggestion on their part that it didn't harm my reputation.

Geetha Luthra : I have satisfied the mandate that his reputation was lowered. We have showed that people had great respect for him, and her words harmed my reputation per say.