#MeToo: MJ Akbar's defamation case against one of the accusers adjourned till Oct 31
New Delhi, Oct 18 (IBNS): Ex-Union Minister MJ Akbar's defamation case against journalist Priya Ramani, one of the sexual harassment accusers, has been adjourned till Oct 31, media reports said.
Delhi's Patiala House Court has found a merit in the defamation case filed by Akbar, who will have to provide testimony on the last day of the ongoing month.
Apart from Ramani, 19 other journalists have levelled allegations of sexual harassment against the former Minister.
Akbar sued Ramani saying the latter is trying to spoil his image.
Meanwhile, Akbar on Wednesday stepped down as the Junior External Affairs Minister amid growing pressures on him to resign. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also accepted Akbar's resignation.
The allegations were levelled against him at a time when the country is blown by the storm of #MeToo movement as several women shared their stories related to sexual misconduct by powerful men.
On Oct 8, Ramani had posted: "I began this piece with my MJ Akbar story. Never named him because he didn’t “do” anything. Lots of women have worse stories about this predator—maybe they’ll share. #ulti https://www.vogue.in/content/harvey-weinsteins-open-letter-sexual-harassment/amp/#click=https://t.co/A2uHiJt9zd …"
Another former colleague Ghazala Wahab also brought serious allegations of sexual harassment against Akbar.
Akbar, who returned to India on Sunday from an official trip, had denied all allegations and called them "false and fabricated".
"The allegations of misconduct made against me are false and fabricated, spiced up by innuendo and malice. I could not reply earlier as I was on an official tour abroad. Accusation without evidence has become a viral fever among some sections," Akbar said in a statement.
Questioning the timing of the allegations, he said: "Why has this storm risen a few months before a general election? Is there an agenda? You be the judge. These false, baseless and wild allegations have caused irreparable damage to my reputation and goodwill."
Akbar, a former journalist, was the editor of prominent newspapers like The Telegraph and later The Asian Age.
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