MJ Akbar files defamation case against scribe Priya Ramani

New Delhi/Mumbai: Union minister M.J. Akbar, accused of sexual harassment by over a dozen women journalists, most of whom had worked for him, on Monday filed a private criminal defamation complaint against journalist Priya Ramani who was the first to level charges of sexual misconduct against him as part of the raging #MeToo campaign.

Mr Akbar’s lawsuit, filed in a Delhi court, names Ms Ramani as the sole accused and says she “intentionally put forward malicious, fabricated and salacious” allegations to harm his goodwill and reputation.

“The complainant (Akbar) also had a long career in journalism, he launched India’s first weekly political news magazine,” the complaint said and listed out defamatory imputations made by Ms Ramani on social media against him.

An unfazed Ms Ramani said, “I am deeply disappointed that a Union minister should dismiss the detailed allegations of several women as a political conspiracy. By instituting a case of criminal defamation against me, Akbar has made his stand clear: rather than engage with the serious allegations that many women have made against him, he seeks to silence them through intimidation and harassment.”