Journalist Priya Ramani named in suit; MeToo accusers say they stand by their charges
Union Minister MJ Akbar on Monday filed a private criminal defamation complaint against journalist Priya Ramani for levelling charges of sexual misconduct against him amid a rising MeToo campaign in India, even as the Congress demanded his resignation and the BJP continued to back him by maintaining that the junior External Affairs Minister has already presented his side of the story.
Soon after returning from his Africa tour on Sunday, Akbar had dismissed the charges by nine women journalists as “innuendos, hearsay, false, fabricated”, saying that he would take legal action which he did on Monday accusing Ramani of “wilfully, deliberately, intentionally and maliciously” defaming him. He sought her prosecution under the penal provision on defamation.
“The complainant (Akbar) also had a long career in journalism, he launched India’s first weekly political news magazine...,” the complaint said and listed out defamatory imputation made by Ramani on social media against him.
The MeToo movement has singed the media and entertainment industry in India. Last week, the movement stirred many women scribes to accuse many senior journalists, including Akbar, of gross sexual harassment and misuse of their position as editors.
While Akbar sought to fight out a legal battle, the women journalists too have said that they stood by their charges and would strike back legally. Incidentally, not a single legal case has been filed against Akbar by any of those who have levelled the charges.
The women, who accused Akbar of sexual harassment, include Priya Ramani, Ghazala Wahab, Shuma Raha, Anju Bharti, Suparna Sharma and Shutapa Paul.
Akbar’s complaint said while it is apparent that the accused (Ramani) has resorted to a series of maliciously serious allegations which she is diabolically and viciously spreading in the media, it is also apparent that false narrative against the complainant (Akbar) is being circulated in a motivated manner for the fulfilment of an agenda, it said.
The complaint describes as “scandalous” the allegations made by Ramani against Akbar and said “very tone and tenor” are ex-facie defamatory and they have not only damaged his goodwill and reputation in his social circle but also affected Akbar’s reputation in the community and friends, family and colleagues and caused irreparable loss and tremendous distress.
The complaint, filed through advocate Sandeep Kapur, seeks issuance of notice to Ramani under Section 499 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Section 500 of the IPC provides that an accused may be awarded two years jail term or fine or both in the event of conviction.
The sharp debate on the alleged sexual misconduct of Akbar has drawn the Opposition to accuse the Modi Government of backing a Minister with a taint, a charge that the ruling party denied. Asked whether the party agrees with the Minister’s statement, BJP spokesman GVL Narasimha Rao said at a Press conference that he (Akbar) has given his version on the row and that it is not about whether the party agrees or disagrees with him.
“It is not about agreeing or disagreeing. He has presented his version,” Rao said. The BJP is in dilemma if there were more charges to flow against many more in high posts.
For their part, the Youth Congress activists staged a protest near Akbar’s residence demanding his “immediate resignation” over allegations of sexual misconduct by several female journalists.
Meanwhile, several media bodies demanded an “impartial probe” into all allegations of sexual misconduct against MJ Akbar and said he should step down from his post till investigation is completed. Indian Women’s Press Corps (IWPC), Press Club of India, Press Association and South Asian Women in Media issued a joint statement saying that Akbar is a “senior functionary of the government and his response should reflect the responsibility that is thus bestowed on him”.