#MeToo; MJ Akbar defamation case hearing updates: Delhi court's next hearing on 31 Oct, ex-minister to be present

File image of MJ Akbar. News18[/caption]Akbar on Monday filed the complaint against Priya Ramani , the first woman to call him out, alleging she "wilfully" and "maliciously" made imputations against him with the ulterior motive of maligning his reputation and political standing. However, the detail that stood out was that the vakalatnama had the names of 97 advocates, a move that the law firm claim was routine.As number of women who levelled sexual harassment allegations against Akbar kept on increasing, the startled prime minister moved on Tuesday to review his position. It appeared," said an official familiar with the discussions, “that they were totally unprepared for how many women would come out with credible allegations against the minister. MJ Akbar, who is facing multiple sex harassment charges, said: "I deem it is appropriate to step down from office and challenge false accusations levied against me, also in a personal capacity."MJ Akbar was asked resign on the eve of the Vijayadashami address by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat as the BJP was worried that Bhagwat may make some unsavoury comments about Akbar continuing as minister which may embarrass the government.The decision to step down as Union Minister of State, External Affairs Ministry, was Akbar's own and he may still remain a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, and the Rajya Sabha, say reports.After MJ Akbar announced his decision to quit as the junior external affairs minister on Wednesday, 20 of his former women colleagues—who previously wrote a petition describing his behaviour and condemning his alleged sexual advances —issued a joint statement welcoming the move. They said now that he has quit from his government post, they also expect him to drop the case.President Ram Nath Kovind Wednesday accepted the resignation of MJ Akbar from the Union council of ministers on the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said.Akbar stepped down as Minister of State for External Affairs following a spate of allegations of sexual harassment during his days as editor of several publications."The President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has accepted the resignation of MJ Akbar from the Union Council of Ministers, with immediate effect, under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution," the Rashtrapati Bhavan statement said.Earlier, Modi had accepted Akbar's resignation. According to the established procedure, the resignation was then sent to the President.In a brief statement, Akbar said he has decided to quit so that he can seek justice in a court of law in his personal capacity.