New Delhi, October 15: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs MJ Akbar on Monday filed a criminal defamation case against journalist Priya Ramani for accusing him of sexually harassing her in #MeToo movement. Akbar filed the criminal defamation case against Ramani in Delhi's Patiala House Court under sections 499 and 500 of the IPC through his lawyer Sandeep Kapur.

Former Mint Lounge Editor Priya Ramani, who wrote about a predatory "celebrity editor" without naming anyone in a piece last year, last week publicly identified Akbar as the central character of her article. "I began this piece with my M.J. Akbar story. Never named him because he didn't 'do' anything. Lots of women have worse stories about this predator -- maybe they'll share," she said.

Reacting to Ramani's allegations, Akbar said she was running a campaign to damage his reputation. “Ms Priya Ramani began this campaign a year ago with a magazine article. She did not, however, name me as she knew it was an incorrect story. When asked recently why she had not named me, she replied, in a Tweet: Never named him because he didn’t ‘do’ anything.," Akbar said in a statement on Monday.

"If I didn’t do anything, where and what is the story? There is no story. This was admitted at the very inception,” he added. Ramani was the first woman who publicly accused Akbar of sexual harassment. As the #MeToo movement gained momentum in the country, around a dozen women journalists accused Akbar of sexual harassment and molestation.

Akbar on Sunday termed the allegations "wild and baseless" and questioning their timing and vowed to take legal action against the accusers. "Accusation without evidence has become a viral fever among some sections. Whatever be the case, now that I have returned (from abroad), my lawyers will look into these wild and baseless allegations in order to decide our future course of legal action," he said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 15, 2018 02:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).