NEW DELHI: After listening for two years, a court of Additional Metropolitan Chief Magistrate Tuesday asked the district judge to transfer the criminal complaint for defamation of former trade union minister MJ Akbar against journalist Priya Ramani to another judge on the basis that the court was appointed to hear the cases brought against the legislators.
The additional metropolitan chief magistrate (ACMM) Vishal Pahuja, who had initiated the final arguments in the case on February 7 this year, said that the case in question is not presented against MP or MLA and should be transferred to the “Competent Court of Jurisdiction”. “.
Pahuja said that his court (ACMM court) was appointed to try the cases brought against the legislators through a circular approved on February 23, 2018 and since this case was not brought against MP / MLA, he was marking the matter for Main district and session judge to consider reassigning the case to another metropolitan magistrate.
Akbar had filed the criminal defamation complaint against Ramani in March 2018.
If he is transferred to another court, the judge would start hearing closing arguments again.
Since the present case has not been brought against MP / MLA, it cannot be tried by this court and must be transferred to the Competent Court of Jurisdiction.
Let this matter go to the main district court and session judge (Rouse Avenue district courts) by Oct. 14 for more appropriate warrants, the ACMM said.
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