#Metoo Allegations: Indian minister sues journalist for defamation
India's junior minister for external affairs M J Akbar yesterday filed a criminal defamation case against his former journalist colleague Priya Ramani, who along with over 10 other women accused him of sexual harassment in the wake of the #MeToo movement in India.
Akbar filed the legal suit through his advocates Karanjawala and Co in the Metropolitan Magistrate's Court here, a day after he broke his silence on the issue of alleged charges of sexual harassment against him.
He has accused Ramani of “wilfully, deliberately, intentionally and maliciously” defaming him and has sought the issuance of notice to Ramani under section 499 (defamation) and section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Section 500 of the IPC provides that an accused may be awarded two years jail term or fine or both in the event of conviction.
Akbar's complaint mentions the accusations being circulated “in a motivated manner for the fulfilment of an agenda”.
It termed the allegations made by Ramani as “scandalous” and “very tone and tenor” ex-facie defamatory. It also stated that the allegations have not only damaged his goodwill and reputation in his social circle but also affected his reputation in the community and friends, family and colleagues, causing “ irreparable loss and tremendous distress.”
In a statement released on Sunday evening soon after his return from Africa, Akbar rejected the allegations of sexual harassment and molestation against him as “false and fabricated”
Akbar said Ramani, his colleague in the Asian Age newspaper where he was a senior editor, had written an article last year where she mentioned the alleged incident but not named him. He said that Ramani had not named him earlier “as she knew it was an incorrect story”. He recalled that when Ramani was recently asked “why she had not named me”, she had tweeted: “Never named him because he didn't 'do' anything.”
After Ramani, at least ten more women journalists came out in the open to level the charges against Akbar.