Delhi's Patiala House Court has issued summons to journalist Priya Ramani as an accused in the defamation case filed by former Union Minister MJ Akbar after she accused him of sexual harassment.
Ramani has been directed to appear before the court for the next date of hearing slated for 25 February.
In October last year, Akbar had filed a defamation case against Ramani, the first of over 15 women who had accused former senior editor and union minister of sexual harassment in the workplace.
Moments after the summon notice, Ramani tweeted her response and said that the “time has come to tell our side of the story.”
Akbar had filed a defamation case against Ramani for accusing him of sexual misconduct in an article she had written for Vogue magazine in October 2017. While Ramani had not mentioned Akbar’s name in the article, she admitted a year later that it referred to Akbar.
Following suit, nearly 13 women accused Akbar of sexual harassment, rape and inappropriate behaviour last year.
In view of the allegations leveled against him, Akbar resigned as the minister of state for external affairs on 17 October and filed a defamation case against Ramani a day after. He said that Ramani’s allegations against him were "false, fabricated, spiced up by innuendo and malice.”
Testifying in favour of Akbar, six witnesses told the Patiala House Court that Ramani’s allegations had desecrated the former union minister’s reputation.
The witnesses – Joyeeta Basu, Sunil Gujral, Veenu Sandal, Tapan Chaki, Manzar Ali and Rachna Goel – claimed that they were shocked and dismayed after the allegations surfaced and that his reputation was lowered in their eyes, reported Bar and Bench.
(With inputs from Bar and Bench)
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