MJ Akbar a brilliant journalist, thorough gentleman: Witness Joyeeta Basu to Court

The Court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal today recorded the statement of Joyeeta Basu, Editor, The Sunday Guardian. The statement of Basu was recorded in the defamation case filed by former Union Minister MJ Akbar against journalist Priya Ramani..Basu was associated with The Asian Age, of which Akbar is a former Editor, in various capacities from 1998 till 2008. She later went on to join The Sunday Guardian which was founded by Akbar himself..Ramani had accused Akbar of sexual harassment and misconduct in a series of tweets published last month. Although several women have levelled allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment against the former Minister, Akbar has filed a defamation complaint against Ramani alone..Basu, who stated that she has known Akbar for twenty years, claimed that,.“Mr Akbar (is) a brilliant journalist, a scholarly writer and a thorough gentleman, with an impeccable reputation in my eyes and in the eyes of the public” and that she “has not heard anything untoward from the staff of the organization in which we (Basu and Akbar) have worked together“..Basu told the Court that she was “shocked, disappointed, embarrassed” after reading the tweets published by Ramani on Twitter on October 8, 2018..She acknowledged that in spite of her experience with Akbar, “his reputation, his image took a beating in my eyes on reading the article/tweet.”.“After that, I reasoned with myself and thought whether it was reasonable given my experience that I should believe the aspersions cast on him, which I momentarily believed on 8.10.2018..On introspection I realised (my doubts) were misplaced and unfounded as my experience over the past two decades had shown him to be a perfect gentleman and his behaviour has been exemplary“, she then recorded..She further told the court that as per “friends and colleagues“, Akbar’s character and image, has taken a severe beating and has been lowered in their eyes..“They said his reputation had been permanently damaged as far as they are concerned.”.She thus asserted that the tweets by Ramani have “destroyed and damaged his image irreparably“..These tweets “were made intentionally with a purpose to harm Mr. Akbar’s reputation and goodwill in the eyes of the society“, Basu told the Court..“This vilification was conducted and the tweets were published, I believe were done intentionally by Ramani with the purpose to harm Akbar’s good reputation“, she claimed..The Patiala House Court had taken cognizance of Akbar’s complaint and had summoned him to testify before the Court last month..In his testimony before the ACMM, Akbar had referred to Ramani’s allegations as “fabricated non-events“..Akbar was represented by Senior Counsel Geeta Luthra and Advocate Sandeep Kapur of Karanjawala and Co..Akbar served as the Minister of State for External Affairs but resigned shortly after the allegations against him surfaced..The matter would be next heard on December 7 when the Court would record the statement of another witness Syed Habibur Rehman.