Section 500 of the IPC provides that an accused may be awarded two years jail term or fine or both in the event of conviction.
Union
minister M
J Akbar on Monday filed a private criminal defamation complaint
against journalist Priya Ramani who recently levelled charges of
sexual misconduct against him as the
#MeToo campaign raged in India.
The
Minister of State for External Affairs has accused Ramani of
"willfully, deliberately, intentionally and maliciously"
defaming him and has sought her prosecution under the penal provision
on defamation.
"The
complainant (Akbar) also had a long career in journalism, he launched
India's first weekly political news magazine...," the complaint
said and listed out defamatory imputations made by Ramani on social
media against him.
Whilst
it is apparent that the accused has resorted to a series of
maliciously serious allegations which she is diabolically and
viciously spreading in media, it is also apparent that false
narrative against the complainant (Akbar) is being circulated in a
motivated manner for the fulfilment of an agenda, the complaint said.
It
termed as "scandalous" the allegations made by Ramani
against Akbar and said "very tone and tenor" are ex-facie
defamatory and they have not only damaged his goodwill and reputation
in his social circle but also affected Akbar's reputation in the
community and friends, family and colleagues and caused irreparable
loss and tremendous distress
The
complaint, filed through advocate Sandeep Kapur, seeks issuance of
notice to Ramani under Section 499 (defamation) of the Indian Penal
Code (IPC).
Section
500 of the IPC provides that an accused may be awarded two years jail
term or fine or both in the event of conviction.
Hours
after returning from a trip to Africa, Akbar had termed allegations
of sexual harassment levelled against him by several women as "false,
fabricated and deeply distressing" and said he was taking
appropriate legal action against them.
Akbar's
name cropped up on social media when he was in Nigeria.
The
women, who accused Akbar of sexual harassment, included Priya Ramani,
Ghazala Wahab, Shuma Raha, Anju Bharti and Shutapa Paul.
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