Ramani: Feel vindicated on behalf women who spoke against sexual harassment

NEW DELHI: Journalist Priya Ramani, who was acquitted on Wednesday by a Delhi court in a criminal defamation case lodged by MJ Akbar, said she felt vindicated on behalf of all the women who have ever spoken out against sexual harassment at work place.

Reacting to the judgment by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Pandey, who dismissed the complaint by Akbar saying no charges were proved against her, Ramani said 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. “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.

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.