The list of 97 names had set Twitter abuzz with one user writing: "You want to know what might look like against lone voices speaking out? These are 97 advocates (image) fighting MJ Akbar's case against one Priya Ramani."
M J Akbar on Monday filed a private criminal defamation complaint against journalist Priya Ramani, who has accused him of sexual misconduct around 20 years ago, alleging she "wilfully" and "maliciously" made imputations against him with the ulterior motive of maligning his reputation and political standing.
When contacted, the legal firm M/S Karanjawala and Co, which is representing Akbar, said the claim that 97 lawyers will fight the defamation complaint against Ramani is false and that only six members will appear for the union minister in the case.
According to Live Law, the complaint was filed through senior partner Sandeep Kapur, principal associate Veer Sandhu, senior associates Niharika Karanjawala, Apoorva Pandey, Mayank Datta and associate Gudipati G. Kashyap, who fill fight the case.
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Reacting to Akbar's step, Ramani said in a statement that she is ready to fight the defamation allegations. She alleged that "rather than engage with the serious allegations that many women have made against him, he (Akbar) seeks to silence them through intimidation and harassment".
Akbar's plea, which is likely to come up for hearing during the week, listed alleged defamatory imputations made by Ramani on social media and also referred to the "long and illustrious" career of Akbar as a journalist while terming the allegations of Ramani as a "figment of her imagination".
(With inputs from PTI)