#Metoo: Feel vindicated on behalf of women who spoke against sexual harassment, says Priya Ramani

NEW DELHI: Journalist Priya Ramani on Wednesday said she feels vindicated after a Delhi court acquitted her in a criminal defamation case lodged by former Union minister M J Akbar.


Reacting to the judgment by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Pandey, who dismissed the complaint filed by Akbar saying that no charges were proved against her, Ramani said that it feels great to have your truth validated before court.



“It feels amazing, truly does. I feel vindicated on behalf of all the women who have ever spoken out against

sexual harassment

at work place,” she said.

Ramani said the sexual harassment issue has gotten the attention it deserves.

She lamented that despite being a "victim", she had to stand as an accused in the court.

“It was me the victim who had to stand up in the court as an accused. I thank everyone who stood by me especially my witnesses Ghazala Wahab and Niloufer Venkatraman who came to the court and testified on my behalf.

"I thank the court for the verdict and I thank my lawyer

Rebecca John

and the amazing team who believed in me and the wider cause. They put their heart and soul in the case," she said.



In its judgment, the court said it is shameful that crimes against women are taking place in a country where mega epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana were written about respecting them.

Observing that even a man of social status can be a sexual harasser, the court said that woman has right to put grievance before any platform of her choice and even after decades.

Glass ceiling will not prevent Indian women as roadblock in advancement in society of equal opportunities, it said.

The court asked Ramani to furnish a bail bond of Rs 10,000 in case an appeal is preferred against the order.

Ramani had made allegations of sexual misconduct against Akbar in the wake of

#MeToo

movement in 2018.

Akbar had filed the complaint against Ramani on October 15, 2018, for allegedly defaming him by accusing him of sexual misconduct decades ago when he was a journalist.

He resigned as Union minister on October 17, 2018.

He denied all the allegations of sexual harassment against the women who came forward during #MeToo campaign against him.

The judgment in the Ramani-Akbar case is likely to set a precedent for similar cases which arose from the discourse-changing #MeToo movement.

(With inputs from agencies)