'Absolute truth is my only defence': Priya Ramani on MJ Akbar's defamation complaint M J Akbar had filed a criminal defamation suit against Priya Ramani for levelling allegations of sexual harassment. news Defamation After Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar filed a criminal defamation suit against journalist Priya Ramani on Monday for levelling allegations of sexual harassment, Ramani said Akbar is trying to "silence" the voices "through intimidation and harassment". Ramani is one of the many women who, in the raging #MeToo campaign, have accused Akbar of sexually harassing them in the capacity of the Editor of The Asian Age and other publications. "I am deeply disappointed that a Union Minister should dismiss the detailed allegations of several women as a political conspiracy. By instituting a case of criminal defamation against me, Akbar has made his stand clear," Ramani said in a statement that she shared on the social media. "Rather than engage with the serious allegations that many women have made against him, he seeks to silence them through intimidation and harassment," she added. She insisted that she would fight allegations of defamation as "truth and absolute truth is my only defence". She said that all the women who have spoken out against Akbar did so "at great risk" to their personal and professional lives. "At this moment, it is disingenuous to ask why they (the victims) have spoken now, as we are well aware of the stigma and shame that sexual crimes inflict upon the victims. Rather than cast aspersions on the intent and motives of these women, we must reflect on how to improve the workplace for future generations of men and women," she said. "This is why I wish to register my strong protest against Mr. Akbar's most recent statement, which pays no heed to the trauma and fear of survivors or the courage required to speak the truth to power," Ramani said.<doc-sep>Attempt to intimidate? MJ Akbar files for defamation against Priya Ramani for 'Me Too' Journalist Priya Ramani was the first to come out with her account, accusing MoS MEA MJ Akbar of sexual harassment. news MeToo Central Minister MJ Akbar, accused of sexual harassment by 14 women, has filed a criminal defamation case against journalist Priya Ramani, who was the first to come out with her account as part of the Me Too movement. The case has been filed in New Delhi’s Patiala House Court through Akbar’s advocates, Karanjawala and Co, in what is being viewed as an attempt to intimidate. In his complaint, Akbar has stated that Ramani “resorted to a series of maliciously fabricated allegations, which she is diabolically and viciously spreading using media, it is also apparent that false narrative against the Complainant is being circulated in a motivated manner and for the fulfillment of an agenda.” “the scandalous allegations leveled by the Accused against the Complainant herein, by their very tone & tenor, are ex facie defamatory and have not only damaged the goodwill and reputation of the Complainant, in his social circles and on the political stage, established after years of toil and hard work, but have also affected the personal reputation of the Complainant in the community, friends, family and colleagues, thereby causing him irreparable loss and tremendous distress,” the complaint adds. Akbar states that through her statements made to the media and on her social media profiles, Ramani “committed the offence of ‘defamation' as defined under Section 499 IPC and made punishable under Section 500 IPC.” The minister, who currently serves as the Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs returned to India on Sunday and issued a statement denying the charges against him, claiming the allegations were a ‘conspiracy’ ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He had stated that he will be taking legal action against the accusers. Calls for the minister to step down had grown louder after 14 women – Priya Ramani, Shuma Raha, Prerna Singh, Kanika Gahlaut, Suparna Sharma, Harinder Baweja, Saba Naqvi, Shutapa Paul, Ghazala Wahab, Anju Bharti, Kadambari Wade, Ruth David, Malini Bhupta and Majile de Puy Kamp – had put on record their gut-wrenching stories of sexual harassment, sexual assault and inappropriate behaviour by the minister during his time as a journalist. In his statement, the minister called the allegations against him as “false and fabricated, spiced up by innuendo and malice.” “Accusation without evidence has become a viral fever among some sections. Whatever be the case, now that I have returned, my lawyers will look into these wild and baseless allegations in order to decide our future course of legal action,” MJ Akbar had said on Sunday. Meanwhile, the women who spoke out against MJ Akbar have stated that they stand by their accusations and will fight the legal case. Speaking to The Telegraph, Priya Ramani said: "The truth is the best defence in any defamation case. I’m not worried." MJ Akbar has previously held various senior positions in multiple news media organisations, including The Telegraph, Asian Age and India Today. The accounts by journalists who worked under him all describe a common pattern in his behaviour – he would set up job interviews with aspiring women journalists in hotel rooms, repeatedly call them to his office cabin for meaningless conversation and chatter, entice them with major stories, send them out of the workplace and meet them at a hotel at odd hours.<doc-sep>
My statement https://t.co/1W7M2lDqPN — Priya Ramani (@priyaramani) 1539607860000 #MeToo: Journalist Priya Ramani hits back at MJ Akbar, says ready to fight defamation case NEW DELHI: Journalist Priya Ramani , who has accused Union minister MJ Akbar of misconduct, on Monday said she is ready to fight the allegations of defamation levelled against her by the minister.Hours after MJ Akbar filed a personal criminal defamation case against her, Priya issued a statement stating "truth and the absolute truth is her only defence. ""I am deeply disappointed that a Union minister should dismiss the detailed allegations of several women as a political conspiracy. By instituting a case of criminal defamation against me, Mr Akbar has made his stand clear: rather than engage with the serious allegations that many women have made against him, he seeks to silence them through intimidation and harassment," she writes in her statement.The journalist slammed the statement issued by the Union minister on Sunday and said, "Mr Akbar's most recent statement pays no heed to the trauma and fear of the survivors or the courage required to speak truth to power. "In the statement that Priya posted on Twitter, she wrote, "The past two weeks have seen an upheaval, with several women from different professions, including journalists, making serious allegations of sexual harassment at the workplace and instances of sexual misconduct against various editors, writers, film-makers and others. These testimonies have emerged as a consequence of a slow but increasing empowerment of women over the years and a #MeToo movement unfolding across social media in India and across the world. "She further said, "In the case of Mr MJ Akbar, at the time these incidents occurred, the complainant women worked for him. Those who have spoken up against Mr Akbar have done so at great risk to their personal and professional lives. At this moment, it is disingenuous to ask why they have spoken now, as we are well aware of the stigma and shame that sexual crimes inflict upon victims. Rather than cast aspersions on the intent and motives of these women, we must reflect on how to improve the workplace for future generations of men and women. "Earlier today, MJ Akbar filed a criminal defamation case against Priya Ramani. The minister accused Ramani of "wilfully, deliberately, intentionally and maliciously" defaming him and has sought her prosecution under the penal provision on defamation.