PRIYA RAMANI GETS BAIL IN DEFAMATION CASE BY AKBAR

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Monday granted bail to journalist Priya Ramani after she was summoned in a defamation case filed by former Union minister MJ Akbar following allegations against him of sexual misconduct when he was working as the editor of a newspaper.

Forty-eight-year-old Ramani filed an application before the Patiala House Court to seek exemption from appearance, saying she was a Bengaluru resident and the mother of a young child.

The matter was scheduled for hearing on April 10 after additional chief metropolitan magistrate Samar Vishal granted her bail on a personal bond of ₹10,000.

“My next court date is April 10... It will now be my turn to tell my story. The truth is my defence,” Ramani said after the court hearing. Ramani had accused MJ Akbar of sexual misconduct when he was working as a journalist about two decades ago. Multiple women later came forward with similar allegations against the 68-year-old as part of the #Metoo campaign on Twitter. Akbar dismissed the charges, saying: “The allegations of misconduct made against me are false and fabricated, spiced up by innuendo and malice.”

Several journalists and activists expressed support for Ramani after Akbar said he was stepping down as a Union minister to fight the charges levelled against him. While filing the criminal defamation case against Ramani, Akbar told the court that an “immediate damage” was caused to him due to the “false allegations”.