Lawsuits seen having ‘chilling effect’ on #MeToo movements in South Asia
ANURANDHA NAGARAJ THE threat of jail under India's criminal defamation law has had a "chilling effect" on the country's #MeToo movement, the lawyer who successfully defended a female journalist sued by a former government minister has warned. M. J. Akbar stepped down as a minister in 2018 after he was accused of sexual misconduct during his earlier career as a newspaper editor by a number of women, including the journalist Priya Ramani. Akbar, who denies all the allegations, filed a criminal defamation lawsuit against Ramani accusing her of having "fabricated" her story. This week a court in New Delhi found…