MJ Akbar appears before court to testify in defamation case

New Delhi: Former Union minister MJ Akbar on Wednesday appeared before a Delhi court to record his statement in a criminal defamation case filed by him against journalist Priya Ramani.

Ramani has accused Akbar of sexual misconduct around 20 years ago. Akbar appeared before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal and the recording of the statement is underway.

Akbar's name cropped up on social media when he was in Nigeria, as the



#MeToo campaign raged on in India. Multiple women have come out with accounts of alleged sexual harassment by Akbar when he was a journalist.

Hours after returning home on October 14, Akbar termed the allegations "false, fabricated and deeply distressing" and said he was taking appropriate legal action against them. The women who accused Akbar of sexual harassment included Ghazala Wahab, Shuma Raha, Anju Bharti and Shutapa Paul.