MJ Akbar resigns amid flurry of sexual harassment charges

India's junior foreign minister MJ Akbar resigned from his post Wednesday amid a flurry of allegations of sexual harassment by young female journalists who worked under him.

Akbar is the most high profile person to quit in recent weeks amid a snowballing #MeToo social media campaign that has seen allegations of sexual harassment against men in workplaces, primarily in the media and entertainment industries.

Akbar, 67, a prominent newspaper editor turned politician, said he was resigning a day before a defamation complaint he has filed against one of the journalists was due to be heard by a Delhi court.

"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.

Twenty women who worked with Akbar during his days as an editor have come out with allegations ranging from predatory behaviour, sexual harassment to assault.

Akbar, who returned from an official trip abroad on Sunday, called the allegations "false" and "baseless" and a conspiracy to hurt his reputation.

On Monday, he filed the case against Priya Ramani - the first female journalist to name him - under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code, which relate to criminal defamation.

India's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been under pressure to seek Akbar's resignation.

"As women we feel vindicated by MJ Akbar’s resignation.
I look forward to the day when I will also get justice in court #metoo," Ramani said in a Twitter post.

"It's not over yet," Suparna Sharma, one of the complainants said, noting that Akbar continues to be a ruling party lawmaker and he had not withdrawn the defamation case.

"And the longer he drags the case, the more voices of women, and now men, will rise," Sharma added.

On Tuesday, a group of 19 women journalists wrote a petition urging the court to hear their testimonies against Akbar as part of the case against Ramani.

All of them worked with the Asian Age newspaper while Akbar was editor in the 1990s.

On Wednesday several men who shared the workplace with these women came on to social media supporting their allegations.

One of India's most prominent editors, Akbar has edited leading English language dailies The Telegraph and The Asian Age. He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party government in 2016.