Court takes cognisance of the former minister & asks him to be present in court on Oct 31 to record statement
Notwithstanding the advise of the Editors' Guild of India to withdraw the defamation case, former union minister MJ Akbar went ahead to press charges against journalist Priya Ramani on Thursday for tarnishing his reputation and goodwill built over 40 years.
Refuting Ramani's allegations accusing him of sexual harassment, Akbar's lawyers told the court that their client had to quit his job as the minister of state for external affairs because of the baseless, malicious and unsubstantiated allegations. They also said that Ramani's defamatory tweets "were picked up by the foreign media" and he had to resign due to these allegations.
The Delhi court took judicial note of the complaint against Ramani and decided to record the statement in the case.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal heard the submissions of senior advocate Geeta Luthra, representing the former minister, that the "defamatory" tweets and similar social media posts of Ramani have caused irreparable loss to his reputation built over 40 years.
With over 1,200 likes and 200 retweets, Ramani's article was widely read and her tweets were picked up by international media, Akbar's lawyers said.
Hearing the Luthra's submission, the magistrate said, "Let the matter be fixed for examination of the complainant (Akbar) and his witnesses (six) for October 31," the magistrate said.
Finding prima facile merit in Akbar's arguments for a defamation suit, the judge asked MJ Akbar to personally present himself in the court on October 31 and record his statement.
Ramani, who was the first woman to single out Akbar through the growing #MeToo movement in India, has refused to cower down asserting that the truth is her "only defence".
A group of 19 women journalists, who had worked with Akbar, also have expressed support for Priya Ramani. Many of them are ready to testify against him.
—With PTI inputs
Base Of Case
- Akbar’s lawyers told the court that their client had to quit his job as the minister of state for external affairs because of the baseless, malicious and unsubstantiated allegations.
- They alleged that Ramani’s allegations ruined Akbar’s long-earned reputation even in global community.
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