MJ Akbar’s defamation case against journalist to be heard today

The lawsuit said Priya Ramani “intentionally put forward malicious, fabricated and salacious” allegations to harm the editor-turned-politician’s reputation.

A Delhi court will on Thursday hear a defamation case filed by former Union minister MJ Akbar against journalist Priya Ramani, who had accused him of sexual harassment.

BJP MP MJ Akbar had stepped down as the minister of state for external affairs after journalist Priya Ramani and a number of other women accused him of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour at various stages of his journalistic career. (Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)

The lawsuit said Ramani “intentionally put forward malicious, fabricated and salacious” allegations to harm the editor-turned-politician’s reputation.

Ramani has said she is “ready to fight allegations of defamation laid against me, as truth and the absolute truth is my only defence.”

Akbar had stepped down as the minister of state for external affairs after Ramani and a number of other women accused him of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour at various stages of his journalistic career.

The BJP MP dismissed the allegations as “false and fabricated” and “malicious” and said he will be “taking appropriate legal action” and said these have “caused irreparable damage to my reputation and goodwill”.

A group of current and former journalists employed by The Asian Age, a newspaper that was once edited by Akbar issued a statement on Tuesday, urging the Patiala House court to accept their testimonies in the case.