NEW DELHI: Delhi's Patiala House will hear the case related to Union minister MJ Akbar and journalist Priya Ramani on Thursday, October 18. 


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The Minister of State for External Affairs has been accused of sexual harassment by more than 12 women journalists in the ongoing MeToo movement on social media, including Ramani who worked with under him more than 15 years ago. 


Akbar has denied all charges calling them "false, wild and baseless" and slapped private criminal defamation complaint against Ramani.


Ramani, who had accused Akbar of sexual misconduct, asserted that she was ready to fight the defamation complaint filed in court against her and expressed disappointment over his statement, saying it paid no heed to the "trauma and fear of the survivors".


She also said Akbar was seeking to "silence" the survivors through "intimidation and harassment".


"I am deeply disappointed that a Union minister should dismiss the detailed allegations of several women as a political conspiracy," Ramani said in a statement.


"By instituting a case of criminal defamation against me, Akbar has made his stand clear: rather than engage with the serious allegations that many women have made against him, he seeks to silence them through intimidation and harassment," she added.


"Needless to say, I am ready to fight the allegations of defamation laid against me as truth and the absolute truth is my only defence," Ramani said.