#MeToo India: Ex-Minister MJ Akbar tells court Priya Ramani defamed him by calling ‘talented predator’, an expert on ‘so-and-so’

#MeToo: The Editor-turned-politician appeared before Delhi's Patiala House Court and began his testimony by telling the court about his journalistic credentials, before venturing on to his political career.

#MeToo: Former Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar on Wednesday recorded his statement in connection with defamation suit that he filed against journalist Priya Ramani.

#MeToo: Former Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar on Wednesday recorded his statement in connection with defamation suit that he filed against journalist Priya Ramani who had accused him of sexual harassment. The Editor-turned-politician appeared before Delhi's Patiala House Court and began his testimony by telling the court about his journalistic credentials, before venturing on to his political career. He said, “I’ve filed criminal defamation complaint against Priya Ramani for a series of tweets that she published. First one came to my notice on my return from my official tour. The tweet had a link to an article in a magazine called vogue.” According to news agency ANI, Akbar told the court, "The defamatory/offending portion in particular apart from the rest of the article is when she (journalist Priya Ramani) referred to me a 'talented predator' and an expert on 'so-and-so'." He said that there was an immediate damage because of the scurrilous nature of the concocted and false allegations. "I was attacked about the alleged and fabricated non-events. I chose to seek justice in my personal capacity without the appurtenance of the office and that's why I resigned," said Akbar. He added by saying that her tweets dated October 10 and October 13 were picked by various media organisations and did rounds on social media, causing defamation. "Opening sentence of her tweet explained one anomaly. When article was 1st published in Vogue, it didn't include my name. When she was asked about it, she said it was because “I had done nothing”. Clearly she was advised by vogue that including my name would invite liability." Delhi's Patiala House Court has fixed November 12 as the next date of hearing. Witnesses will record their statements on the next hearing. On October 17, Akbar had stepped down as a junior foreign minister following a flurry of allegations made against him by at least 15 women, who accused him of sexual misconduct during his stint as the editor of The Asian Age. He had sued Ramani, seeking her prosecution under Sections 499 and 500 of the IPC for defamation.