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In a landmark case that defined India’s Me Too movement, a Delhi court on Wednesday struck down the criminal defamation case brought by a former federal minister against a woman journalist who accused him of sexual harassment.
Acquitting journalist Priya Ramani in the criminal defamation case initiated by MJ Akbar, additional chief metropolitan magistrate, Ravindra Kumar Pandey, observed that “a woman has the right to put her grievance even after decades.”
The court also noted the social stigma attached with such allegations and said that society must understand the impact of sexual abuse and harassment on its victims. Justice Pandey also said that observes that “even a man of social status can be a sexual harasser” and that the “right of reputation can’t be protected at the cost of right to dignity.”
“Truth and the absolute truth is my only defence,” Ms Ramani had maintained throughout the trial.
The lawsuit marked a milestone in India’s MeToo movement that swept across social media in October, 2018, and sparked a conversation on consent, workplace sexual harassment, minority rights, and caste and gender based violence.
Mr Akbar, 70, is an editor who was accused by multiple women of inappropriate behaviour, including sexual assault by women journalists.
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