[Live Updates] : MJ Akbar vs Priya Ramani Final Hearing

Matter adjourned for the day. Next date of hearing - 28th and 29th Feb at 2pm; Geeta Luthra will take two days to complete her submissions.

Luthra is reading out Joyeeta Basu’s statement.

"Over a span of 15 years, Akbar’s interaction with Basu and the others have been good. That’s a long, long time"

#MJAkbarVsPriyaRamani.

 Now, Luthra’s reading out Sunil Gujral’s statement.

"These people have worked for him, stayed near him for years and years, and haven’t heard anything against him. And suddenly this bandwagon happens, and she jumps on it saying that he’s the worst predator."

Tapan Chaki's testimony

"Mr. Akbar has an impeccable reputation. The tweets and the article have damaged his reputation which was carefully cultivated over so many years. In my estimation, Ramani affected his reputation very gravely.”

Now, Luthra is reading out the statement of Tapan Chaki a Corporate Communications Consultant based in Kolkata, who has known Akbar for a long period of time.

“I have the highest regard for Mr. Akbar, both as a man and a journalist", Tapan Chaki said.

#PriyaRamani

Luthra is reading out Veenu Sandal’s statement which describes how Priya Ramani’s tweets and article dented the image that Akbar held in Sandal’s eyes.

Sandal 's testimony “His reputation had been damaged, dragged through the mud and in tatters. After he returned, I spoke to him about how let down I was feeling. He told me there was no truth in the allegations made by Ramani."

Sandal's testimony : After due deliberation, I thought and realised that there not a single remote thing which could be said by many people about Akbar along the lines of what was alleged by Ramani.”

Luthra refers to the chief which took place on 15.07.2019. “The fact that my reputation has been ruined in the eyes of people is not disputed.”

#MJAkbarVsPriyaRamani

Luthra refers to the Tarun Tejpal incident in 2013. “She could have spoken up then as well. She even wrote an article on it”.

Luthra “The article is devoid of any sense of responsibility. How a person can, without care of the damage to the reputation of a person, say something with elan and then say that he didn’t do anything, and then say that “didn’t do anything” part was sarcastic. And the person is ruined forever.”

So, till date, there was no reason for her to keep quiet. She doesn’t say that she had no portal. The fact is that, why are you speaking up ? Are you speaking up genuinely ? Are you speaking up because of #MeToo movement ? Are you speaking up because he has become a Minister ?"