Indian Minister Resigns to Contest #MeToo Allegations in Court

(Bloomberg) -- India’s junior foreign minister M.J. Akbar has resigned after more than a dozen women accused him of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior, the first politician to step down as the #MeToo movement continued to spread across India.

Akbar, who denied the sexual harassment allegations, submitted his resignation on Wednesday, according to a statement. He had recently filed a criminal defamation case against journalist Priya Ramani, who wrote about her experience in Vogue India. In his petition, Akbar said she “willfully, deliberately, intentionally and maliciously” defamed him.

"Since I have decided to seek justice in a court of law in my personal capacity, I deem it appropriate to step down from office and challenge false accusations levied against me, also in a personal capacity," Akbar said in a statement.

More than a dozen women, including a Bloomberg journalist based in London, have alleged that Akbar sexually harassed them or engaged in other inappropriate behavior decades ago during his time as an editor of several Indian publications.

‘Vindication’

An assistant in Akbar’s office referred comments to the foreign ministry’s spokesman, Raveesh Kumar, who declined to comment. Akbar did not immediately respond to an email sent to his work address.

Read more: #MeToo Comes to Bollywood After Actor Alleges Sexual Harassment

"It’s a vindication of the truth, of what the women have been saying," said Vrinda Grover, a prominent lawyer and women’s rights activist. "Women of India will no longer tolerate any of this. The women have declared zero tolerance, no matter who or how high the man is. There should be many more resignations."

India’s government had said it will establish a committee of senior judges to examine the flood of sexual harassment complaints against prominent men.

The resignation comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has yet to publicly comment on the flood of #MeToo allegations, begins to campaign ahead of national elections due by May.

To contact the reporter on this story: Iain Marlow in New Delhi at imarlow1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, Unni Krishnan

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