Ramani’s tweets caused defamation: Akbar tells court

TIL Desk/National/New Delhi/ Ex-Union minister MJ Akbar appears before Delhi’s Patiala House court to record his statement in the criminal defamation case filed by him against journalist Priya Ramani.

Akbar begins his testimony by telling the court about his credentials and professional background and goes on to talk about his political career. He said he entered public life in 2014 and became National Spokesman for the BJP in 2015. He said he was currently a Member of Parliament from Madhya Pradesh.

Talking about his his career as a journalist, Akbar said, “I acquired a good reputation as both a writer and an editor.”  Akbar submitted before the court that Ramani’s tweets on October 10 and 13 have caused defamation. These tweets were picked up by various publications and did the rounds on social media.

Akbar told the court, “I’ve filed criminal defamation complaint against Priya Ramani for a series of tweets that she published. First one came to my notice on my return from my official tour. The tweet had a link to an article in a magazine called Vogue.”