MJ Akbar, the former editor and union minister accused of sexual harassment by several women in 2018, has returned to the newsroom by joining the morning editorial meetings of WION, the English television news channel of Zee Media.
A WION employee, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Silverscreen India that as per an announcement made by the editor-in-chief of Zee News and the CEO of WION, Sudhir Chaudhary, a three-member board comprising Chaudhary, Akbar and Zee Media’s parent company Essel Group’s chairman Subhash Chandra, has been formed.
Akbar has been attending the channel’s morning editorial meetings since Monday and as per an announcement made by Chaudhary, Akbar has joined the company as an external consultant. ”He has just been making suggestions as of now”, the employee added.
However, a WION employee told Newslaundry report that Akbar would be joining as the vice president. “Some people are wary about Akbar joining, especially the junior staff. They aren’t revolting or anything, but there are murmurs,” the employee said.
Chandra had introduced Akbar in person to the television channel’s senior staff, another employee told the publication.
As per the report, Akbar, who has previously launched several weekly political news periodicals as an editor including India Today, The Telegraph, The Asian Age and Deccan Chronicle, among others, has been actively attending meetings, discussing pitches and ideas along with Chandra and Chaudhary.
Chandra and Akbar share common political affiliations, both serving as Rajya Sabba MPs for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Akbar resigned from the Union Council of Ministers after the sexual harassment allegations surfaced.
The Sexual Harassment Case
In the wake of the #MeToo movement, senior journalist Priya Ramani had written an article for Vogue on October 12, 2017. The article, titled To the Harvey Weinsteins of the World, was addressed to “Dear Male Boss.” At that time, the identity of the boss was kept anonymous.
In October 2018, Ramani named Akbar as the editor who had harassed her. She said that the incident occurred during an interview with Akbar at a hotel room in Mumbai in 1993. Ramani added that she had decided to name him publicly after a number of women came forward to accuse Akbar of sexual harassment.
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Following this, Akbar resigned from the Union Council of Ministers and filed a criminal case of defamation against Ramani. He has since been denying the charges, claiming that he doesn’t remember the incident and terming Ramani’s allegations as “malicious and fabricated.”
Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court acquitted Ramani of all charges in the case in February 2021. The court had accepted the possibility of Ramani’s defence based on several testimonies including her own, that Akbar was not a man of “stellar reputation.” The court also observed that “a man of social status” can also be “a sexual harasser.”
After this judgement, in March, Akbar moved the Delhi High Court to challenge Ramani’s acquittal in the case to which the Delhi High court has issued a notice to Ramani.