MJ Akbar-Priya Ramani criminal defamation case to be heard on 18 Oct

New Delhi, Oct 16: Delhi's Patiala House court has listed the matter of MJ Akbar, the junior minister for external affairs who has been accused of sexual harassment by multiple women to 18 October at 2pm. He had filed a criminal defamation case in the Court against journalist Priya Ramani on Monday.

Ramani was the first woman to come out and accuse Akbar of sexual harassment and predatory behaviour. The accusations date back to the time when Akbar was in the media and was the editor of a national daily.

Ramani in a tweet on October 8 had revealed that a 2017 article she wrote was about MJ Akbar. In that article, Ramani spoke of a senior editor who interviewed her for a job in a hotel room and made her feel uncomfortable.

On Sunday, Akbar, who was on an official tour to Africa when the #MeToo allegations against him blew up, returned to India and issued a strong statement in which he rejected the charges against him.

Akbar said the allegations were lies being spread with a malicious intent and threatened to take legal action against his accusers.

The sections that Akbar's lawyers have invoked carry a maximum punishment of two years in prison.