Court takes cognisance of Akbar's defamation case, his statement to be recorded on Oct 31

A Delhi court Thursday decided to record the statement of former minister M J Akbar's criminal defamation complaint of being accused of sexual misconduct by journalist Priya Ramani, on October 31.

The court took judicial note of the complaint against Ramani, who has accused Akbar of sexual misconduct around 20 years ago, and decided to record the statement in the case.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal heard the submissions of senior advocate Geeta Luthra, representing the former minister, that the "defamatory" tweets and similar social media posts of Ramani have caused irreparable loss to his reputation built over 40 years.

"Let the matter be fixed for examination of the complainant (Akbar) and his witnesses (six) for October 31," the magistrate said.

Luthra mentioned that Ramani' objectionable tweets have been merrily retweeted by a number of other people and various news items were written on their basis in national and international newspapers and other media platforms.

Luthra said calling Akbar a "predator" in tweets was "defamatory" and also referred to an article written by Ramani herself.

"My (Akbar) reputation lowered in public. People have read tweets and the article (by Ramani). Number of retweets and 'likes' crossed thousands which showed the extent of defamation," the counsel said.

The senior lawyer referred to the sequence of events and said that Akbar has resigned from the post of Minister of State for External Affairs due to these allegations made in the "defamatory" tweets and other posts.

She also referred to the reputation of Akbar as a journalist and sought judicial intervention in the matter by taking cognisance of the complaint.

"My position has been damaged. My reputation has been damaged. I have been elected to Parliament. I am a longstanding journalist and have written various books. This shows I had a reputation, which has been damaged," the senior counsel said.

As per Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the court would now record the pre-summoning evidence and statement of Akbar and other witnesses, referred to in the complaint and would issue notice to Ramani to face trial if it is satisfied that there are prima-facie substance in the complaint.

Akbar on Wednesday had tendered his resignation after making it clear that he had filed the case in his "personal" capacity and would fight it out in the court of law.

"Since I have decided to seek justice in a court of law in my personal capacity, I deem it appropriate to step down from office and challenge false accusations levied against me, also in a personal capacity. I have, therefore, tendered my resignation from the office of Minister of State for External Affairs. I am deeply grateful to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and to the External Affairs Minister Smt Sushma Swaraj for the opportunity they gave me to serve my country," Akbar had said in his letter.

Akbar on Monday had filed the criminal defamation complaint against Ramani alleging she "wilfully" and "maliciously" made imputations against him with the ulterior motive of maligning his reputation and political standing.

Expressing her readiness to fight the defamation allegations, Ramani had said, "Rather than engage with the serious allegations that many women have made against him, he (Akbar) seeks to silence them through intimidation and harassment."