Woman editor supports MJ Akbar in court

A former woman colleague of journalist and politician MJ Akbar told a Delhi court yesterday that his reputation has been "destroyed" and "damaged irreparably" due to the allegations of sexual misconduct levelled by scribe Priya Ramani.

Joyeeta Basu, the editor of Sunday Guardian, who appeared as a witness to support defamation case filed by Akbar, told Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal that Ramani posted all her tweets "intentionally with a purpose to harm" Akbar's "reputation and goodwill".

"I have seen tweets by Priya Ramani dated October 10, 2018 and October 13, 2018. I have overcome my doubts but I know from the number of questions raised by people, I know personally that his reputation has been destroyed and damaged irreparably," Basu told the court which is recording the statements of witnesses produced by Akbar.

Akbar, who resigned as Union minister on October 17, had filed a private criminal defamation complaint in a court here against Ramani after his name cropped up on the social media when he was in Nigeria, as the #MeToo campaign raged on in India.

Ramani has accused Akbar of sexual misconduct around 20 years ago.

Basu, in her statement, said: "After reading these tweets by Ramani, I believe that this vilification was conducted and the tweets were published intentionally by Ramani with a purpose to harm Akbar's good reputation and goodwill in the eyes of society."