New Delhi, Feb 29: Former Union Minister M J Akbar told a Delhi court on Friday that journalist Priya Ramani had defamed him by calling him with adjectives such as 'media's biggest predator' in the wake of #MeToo movement in 2018 that harmed his reputation.
M J Akbar made the allegations before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vishal Pahuja through his lawyer during the final hearing of a private criminal defamation complaint filed by him against Priya Ramani. Akbar resigned as Union minister on October 17, 2018.
Ramani in 2018 accused Akbar of sexual misconduct around 20 years ago when he was a journalist.
Senior advocate Geeta Luthra, appearing for Akbar, said that the allegations were intentional and malafide.
“When you call someone media's biggest predator, it is per se defamatory. Calling a person with such adjectives is on the face of it defamatory. In the eyes of the people, Akbar's reputation was harmed... The per se effect was lowering of my (Akbar) reputation in the eyes of the right thinking members of the society,” she told the court.
She said there was no due process in the allegations. “It has a cascading effect. Embarrassing questions were asked. I (Akbar) am a person of greatest integrity... There was no due process in the allegations. You cannot just make allegation and let that person suffer,” she added.
Luthra said that if there was any grievance, it had to be raised then and there before the appropriate authority.
“We need to realise the effect has what we say or what we do. It's not like she went to any authority or raised any grievance. Opportunity was there, rights were there but to attack so person behind their back on social media...knowing that his whole life will be adversely affected? It's not right,” she said.
M J Akbar has denied all the allegations of sexual harassment against the women who came forward during #MeToo campaign against him.
Akbar had earlier told the court that the allegations made in an article in the 'Vogue' and the subsequent tweets were defamatory on the face of it as the complainant had deposed them to be false and imaginary and that an “immediate damage” was caused to him due to the “false” allegations by Priya Ramani.
Ramani had earlier told the court that her “disclosure” of alleged sexual harassment by Akbar has come at “a great personal cost” and she had “nothing to gain” from it.
She had said her move would empower women to speak up and make them understand their rights at workplace.
Several women came up with accounts of the alleged sexual harassment by M J Akbar him while they were working as journalists under him.
He has termed the allegations “false, fabricated and deeply distressing” and said he was taking appropriate legal action against them.
''Our dream is a cashless society, but we can definitely take the first step towards a less-cash society", said PM. He said in the wake of the demonetization drive there has been 300 per cent increase in the use of Rupay card since people started using it.
Comments
If anyone have good suggestion to give will appreciate, otherwise get off u ass.
Khad asa bod na ..... wage earners will have to visit the bank Atm daily to collect yesterdays wages.... provided the owner transfers the money in time
Yes it will Cash less... but also with people less..
Tax is like 'Herding', the way a shepherd herds the animals to reach the destination, Govt. is doing the same by herding the people towards banking cartels. This is why they created 'cash crunch' and issuing Rs.2000 note first instead of Rs.500 is the reason for it. There is a greater agenda that is happening all over the world, under the guidance of UN, IMF and World Bank, in order to bring humanity under one umbrella, so that every economic activities can be controlled and monitored by \few\" who wants to rule the world and bring about one world government, one religion, one culture, one money (digital), one economic system and one civil society. In order to achieve this, they do not care if people face problems, they have to do this some how. As such digital money is just some digital pulses, they can easily manipulate the world through this. Already PM yesterday told us that he did the demonetization \"on the recommendation of RBI\". And the RBI gets recommendation from IMF and World Bank. Our Prophet (s.a.w.s) about Dajjal and his trials, which will be greatest trials that humanity will undergo. Dajjal will emerge hoping people development s and prosper, our prophet (s.a.w.s) told us that his heaven is hell and his hell is actually heaven. Dajjal yet to emerge among our midst, but the process to make his rule effective world over, is already happening in our midst. Dajjal sees with only one eye, i.e., this Dunia and other eye is completely shut, the eye of Akhira. Most of the education, economic , political systems in our midst have already removed the words religion and God. Only one thing I have to say during these trials, is to keep our faith in tact."
Mr. Modiji, we have 30-40% illiterates.....how you are going to convince and help them to use bank debit and credit cards....
This is a good idea, this will stop corruption, no doubt at all.....
Add new comment