Journalist Priya Ramani was on Monday granted bail by a Delhi court in the defamation case filed by former Union minister MJ Akbar.
Ramani was summoned as an accused in the case for levelling allegations of sexual misconduct against Akbar.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal granted the bail on a bond of Rs 10,000.
After the hearing, Ramani told reporters, “The next date, when they will frame the charges against me, is 10 April. After that it will be my turn to tell my story. The truth is my defence.”
According to Bar & Bench, Akbar was not present in court.
Ramani’s lawyer, senior advocate Rebecca John, told the court, “In a complaint case, the complainant should be here but he isn’t.” Ramani has moved the court for exemption from personal appearance.
Akbar resigned as minister of state for external affairs on 17 October after his name cropped up on social media when he was in Nigeria as the #MeToo campaign raged on in India.
Denying the allegations, Akbar had termed them “false, fabricated and deeply distressing”.
He then filed a private criminal defamation complaint against Ramani.
On the day he resigned, Ramani tweeted:
Multiple women have come out with accounts of alleged sexual harassment by Akbar while he was working as a journalist.
(With PTI inputs)