It’s never too late ‘ ’
MJ Akbar loses his defamation case accruing from #MeToo movement
Former editor M J Akbar (70), who was a minister in the first Modi government, on Wednesday lost his criminal defamation case against Priya Ramani, once his junior, with a city court holding that a woman has the right to put forth her grievances of rape and molestation "even after decades.
"He had slapped a defamation case against Ramani for accusing him of sexual harassment during the #MeToo movement in 2018. After Ramani spoke out against Akbar, about 20 women journalists, who had worked under him as editor, also accused him of sexual harassment and molestation, often by calling them in his chamber.Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Pandey acquitted Ramani, holding that her revelations were made in the "interest of antisexual harassment at workplace" and that it took into consideration "systematic abuse at workplace.
"The court's order held that sexual abuse takes away dignity and self-confidence. "Right of reputation can't be protected at the cost of right to dignity," it said, rejecting Akbar's plea for damages for destroying his sterling reputation.
Ramani, who was present in the court at the time of the verdict, told reporters that "I happened to represent all the women who spoke up...the women who spoke up before me and the women who spoke up after me."Speaking specifically on the
impact of the judgment on the #MeToo movement, Ramani said that the verdict will encourage more women to speak up and it will make “powerful men think twice before they take victims to court."She said this judgment will encourage more women to speak up and the powerful men will think twice before they take victims to court."
The court referred to epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana while upholding the right of dignity of women, in general, and Ramani in particular. The court said it was shameful that crimes against women are taking place in a country where epics were written about respecting them.
The court's order held that sexual abuse takes away dignity and self-confidence. "Right of reputation can't be protected at the cost of right to dignity," it said, rejecting Akbar's plea for damages for destroying his stellar reputation.
"Jataayu came to protect Princess Sita," said the court, referring to the abduction of the wife of Lord Ram by Lanka King Ravan. When Ravan was taking Princess Sita in his flying chariot, divine bird Jataayu fought the king and lost his life while attempting to protect her dignity.
In the wake of the #MeToo movement in 2018, Ramani had made an allegation of sexual misconduct against Akbar that she claimed to have happened in December 1993. She alleged that Akbar sexually harassed her while she was called for an interview at a Mumbai hotel. Ramani spoke about it in an article in 2018 when the #MeToo campaign reached India and a number of women spoke about incidents of sexual abuse at workplaces. Akbar resigned as Union minister as the pressure mounted in the wake of the allegation. He filed a criminal defamation case in October 2018 af ter Ramani, referring to her 2018 article, identified the sexual harasser as Akbar, who denied meeting her at the hotel in 1993.