Akbar denies rape accusations by Pallavi Gogoi, wife defends him; both say he had affair with Gogoi

Former union minister M J Akbar on Friday denied accusations of rape by US-based journalist Pallavi Gogoi, claiming he had consensual relationship spanning several months with her but it ended "perhaps not on the best note".

In a separate statement his wife Mallika Akbar also dismissed Gogoi's accusations, made in a Washington Post article Friday, as a "lie".

"Somewhere around 1994, Ms Pallavi Gogoi and I entered into a consensual relationship that spanned several months," Akbar, who recently resigned as the junior foreign minister following a spate of #MeToo allegations, said in a statement.

"This relationship (with Gogoi) gave rise to talk
In her statement, Mallika said "more than twenty years ago, Pallavi Gogoi caused unhappiness and discord in our home. I learned of her and my husband's involvement through her late night phone calls and her public display of affection in my presence."