<p class="title">It was business as usual for Minister of State for External Affairs <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tag/m-j-akbar" target="_blank">M J Akbar</a> who is besieged by allegations of sexual misconduct by a dozen woman journalists.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Akbar, who was on an official visit to some African nations, returned home on Sunday morning and issued a lengthy denial, threatening to launch <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/metoo-campaign-union-min-m-j-698060.html" target="_blank">legal proceedings</a> against his victims, a move that triggered a furore.</p>.<p class="bodytext">External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had convened a meeting with Akbar and her other ministerial colleague Gen V K Singh (retd.) to review the preparations of the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in Varanasi in January next year.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Akbar is also learnt to have held consultations with his lawyers on Sunday and Monday before moving the local Patiala House Court to file a defamation suit against Priya Ramani, the first journalist to level allegations against him.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Later, Akbar also visited the External Affairs Ministry offices in South Block, but no details of his meetings were available.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It was not immediately known whether Swaraj had sought a separate meeting with Akbar to discuss the allegations against him.</p>
<p class="title">It was business as usual for Minister of State for External Affairs <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tag/m-j-akbar" target="_blank">M J Akbar</a> who is besieged by allegations of sexual misconduct by a dozen woman journalists.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Akbar, who was on an official visit to some African nations, returned home on Sunday morning and issued a lengthy denial, threatening to launch <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/metoo-campaign-union-min-m-j-698060.html" target="_blank">legal proceedings</a> against his victims, a move that triggered a furore.</p>.<p class="bodytext">External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had convened a meeting with Akbar and her other ministerial colleague Gen V K Singh (retd.) to review the preparations of the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in Varanasi in January next year.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Akbar is also learnt to have held consultations with his lawyers on Sunday and Monday before moving the local Patiala House Court to file a defamation suit against Priya Ramani, the first journalist to level allegations against him.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Later, Akbar also visited the External Affairs Ministry offices in South Block, but no details of his meetings were available.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It was not immediately known whether Swaraj had sought a separate meeting with Akbar to discuss the allegations against him.</p>
