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'Priya Ramani stood up for all who screamed #MeToo': Twitter exults
Sexual harassment has got the attention it deserves, said Priya Ramani soon after the acquittal.
Acknowledging a woman's right to put her grievance even after decades, a Delhi court today acquitted journalist Priya Ramani in a criminal defamation case filed by former minister MJ Akbar. Ramani has accused Akbar of sexual misconduct.
“The right of reputation cannot be protected at the cost of the right to dignity; the right of reputation can't be weighed over the right of the life of a woman,” noted the court.
In an article for Vogue India in 2017, Ramani detailed the ways of her former boss, whom she termed a “sexual predator”. The article did not mention her boss by name. A year later, in 2018, Ramani named MJ Akbar, her former boss, in a tweet, accusing him, of sexual harassment.
‘It feels amazing, it really does. I feel vindicated on behalf of all the women who have ever spoken out against sexual harassment. Sexual harassment has got the attention it deserves. Despite the fact that it was me, the victim, who had to stand up in court as the accused. I thank everyone who stood by me, especially my two witnesses who came to court and testitfied on my behalf. I thank the court for this verdict," said Ramani, after the acquittal.
Soon after the verdict, Twitter erupted in applause for Ramani, hailing her courage and showing a way forward for other women.
Here are a few reactions.
Hailing the verdict, #MeTooIndia, a platform that amplifies voices from #MeToo, turged the courts to take a closer look at how defamation suits are used to shut up women.
