Akbar, who appeared before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal, said the allegations made by Ramani were 'malafide' and 'defamatory'.

Ramani pleaded not guilty and claimed trial in the defamation charge which was filed by ex-Union minister M J Akbar.

Court has posted for hearing defamation case filed by M J Akbar, in which Priya Ramani was summoned as accused, on April 10.

Ramani had accused Akbar of sexual misconduct around 20 years ago, which was denied by him.

M.J. Akbar, who resigned as Union minister on October 17 last year, filed a private criminal defamation complaint against Ramani after his name cropped up on social media amid the #MeToo Movement.

The Editor's Guild has also suspended the membership of senior journalist Tarun Tejpal who is facing a trial in a rape case, besides writing to Gautam Adhikari over the allegations of sexual hrassment against him.

Akbar, who resigned as Union minister on October 17, had filed a private criminal defamation complaint in the court against Ramani after his name cropped up on the social media when he was in Nigeria, as the #MeToo campaign raged on in India.

The guild had earlier directed Akbar to withdraw the defamation case he had filed against journalist Priya Ramani, who was one of the first women to openly name the former minister.

The journalist said that she has worked with Akbar for 20 years and had not heard anything "untoward" from the staff of the organisation where they worked together.

Former Union Minister M J Akbar on Friday denied allegations of rape by US-based journalist and said it was a "consensual relationship".