#MeToo: False, defamatory assertion by Ramani led to others repeating it, MJ Akbar tells courtroom

Former Union minister M J Akbar informed a Delhi courtroom on Thursday that “false, defamatory statement” by journalist Priya Ramani towards him alleging sexual misconduct led different individuals and the media repeating them.
Akbar made the submission earlier than Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Ravindra Kumar by senior advocate Geeta Luthra in the course of the ultimate listening to in a prison defamation grievance filed by him towards Ramani for allegedly defaming him by accusing him of sexual misconduct 20 years in the past when he was a journalist.
Ramani had made allegation of sexual misconduct towards Akbar within the wake of #MeToo motion in 2018, whereas he was travelling as a minister.
Luthra mentioned it was Ramani’s tweets that grew to become the idea of different articles.

“False, defamatory statement by her lead to repeat by other persons and media. She started this. That”s why instantly after my coming again I (Akbar) made the grievance towards her,” she mentioned.
She mentioned that due course of was out there to girls and that Ramani had “no desire to go for due process.”
“When Ramani says there was no availability of due process, it is incorrect. What they are saying is you can do a parallel trial without going to the courts and the legal system provides to redressal,” she mentioned.
She added that Ramani had “no want to go for due course of. There was little interest in due course of. It is way simpler to malign somebody, defame somebody on social media. It is impermissible.“
Luthra reiterated that Akbar had an “unblemished reputation” that was destroyed by Ramani.
“The common thread in all our evidence and theirs is that Akbar has a reputation and that reputation is unblemished till Ramani made her averments. It is not disputed,” Luthra mentioned.

The proceedings remained inconclusive and the courtroom will additional hear the matter on January 12.
Akbar had filed the prison defamation grievance towards Ramani in October 15, 2018.
He resigned as Union minister on October 17, 2018.
Akbar had earlier informed the courtroom that Ramani had defamed him by calling him with adjectives comparable to ”media”s largest predator” that harmed his fame.

He has denied all of the allegations of sexual harassment towards the ladies who got here ahead in the course of the #MeToo marketing campaign towards him.
Over 20 girls got here up with accounts of the alleged sexual harassment by Akbar whereas they have been working as journalists beneath him.
He termed the allegations “false, fabricated and deeply distressing” and mentioned he was taking applicable authorized motion towards them.