Former Union Minister M.J. Akbar on Saturday denied allegations of sexual assault levelled by four journalists while being cross-examined in a defamation case filed by him against senior scribe Priya Ramani.
Replying to queries during his examination in the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal, Mr. Akbar said, “It is wrong to suggest that one of the scribespublicly recounted her experience of being sexually assaulted by me while she interned at The Asian Age as an 18-year-old.”
Mr. Akbar said he could not recall whether he received an email from her father or replied to it with an apology. He added that he was not aware that she is a journalist of international repute.
Regarding another journalist, the former Minister said he was not aware of any article written by her recounting several instances of sexual misconduct on his part. “If any such article is there then it is wrong and the allegations, if any, are denied,” Mr. Akbar said.
About his another colleague at The Asian Age, he said, “I worked with her in 1994 at The Asian Age. I was made aware of an article written by her in The Washington Post dated 01.11.2018. But I deny all those allegations.”
Mr. Akbar further said he was not aware whether she had recounted her account in The Washington Post later in her tweets.
‘Not aware of tweets’
Talking about another woman, who worked at The Asian Age as feature editor from 2000 to 2002, Mr. Akbar said he was not aware of her tweets earlier when the same was shown to him.
He also denied that the witnesses who deposed in his favour at the pre-summoning stage were tutored ones. The cross-examination of the former Minister has concluded.
The case will now come up for the recording of complainant’s remaining witnesses evidence on July 15 and 17.
