Akbar to testify in defamation case

NEW DELHI: A court on Thursday admitted a defamation complaint filed by former minister MJ Akbar against a female journalist who accused him of sexual harassment, clearing the decks for a trial that is bound to be followed with huge public interest.

Akbar, 67, a prominent newspaper editor turned politician, resigned from the post of junior foreign minister on Wednesday, saying he needed to fight the allegations in court.

He filed a case against journalist Priya Ramani, the first woman among 20 to name him, accusing her of “intentionally putting forward malicious, fabricated and salacious” allegations to harm his reputation.

“The court has found merit and taken cognizance of the complaint. It has fixed October 31 for recording the statement Akbar and other witnesses,” said Sandeep Kapur, a lawyer representing the former minister.

Defamation is a criminal offence in India, punishable by up to two years in jail.

Ramani wrote an article for Vogue India a year ago in which she recounted her first experience of workplace harassment but did not name her harasser. She identified him in a recent tweet as Akbar.

Akbar’s lawyers told the court that Ramani’s article and tweets had tarnished his reputation and goodwill and the allegations had forced him to resign. The lawyers said Ramani’s tweets were shared and liked widely and picked up by the international media.

Ramani has told the domestic media that she was not worried, saying the “truth is her only defence.”