Hope rises for #MeToo crusaders
Updated Feb 20, 2021, 11:26 am IST
Priya Ramani’s partial victory gives hope to Bollywood women who dared the patriarchy and called out their abusers
Priya Ramani
When acquitting Priya Ramani in the defamation case against politician and former journalist M.J. Akbar, Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Pandey mentioned, “Society must understand the impact of sexual abuse and harassment on its victims. The woman has the right to put her grievance at any platform of her choice and even after decades.”
Ostensibly, there is a ray of hope that has permeated to the women in Bollywood, who have also stood up against their alleged abusers, albeit after many years.
It was irony that was hard to miss. In India, one of the most high-profile cases to come out of the #MeToo movement against workplace sexual harassment perpetrated by men in powerful positions saw a woman, journalist Priya Ramani, become an accused after former Union minister MJ Akbar charged her with defamation. A Delhi trial court judgment, hailed as historic, not only acquitted Ramani but made several progressive statements.
Right to Dissent Is Hallmark of Democracy, Allows Criticism of Govt : Retired SC Judge
At a webinar on the right to dissent, former SC judge Deepak Gupta condemned the use of sedition laws to curb dissent.
Representative image. Illustration: The Wire
Rights20/Feb/2021
New Delhi: Retired Supreme Court judge Deepak Gupta on Friday condemned the use of sedition laws to curb dissent, saying no party is immune to criticism.
He was speaking at a webinar on ‘Our Right to Dissent’ that was conducted by the Delhi High Court Women Lawyers Forum in association with digital legal news portal
LiveLaw. Justice Gupta, senior advocate Rebecca John and advocate Chitranshul Sinha were the keynote speakers in conversation with advocates Ritu Bhalla and Manali Singhal. Advocates Arundhati Katju and Swaty Singh Malik were also part of the press conference.
Updated Feb 21, 2021, 12:03 am IST
What does Priya Ramani’s recent victory mean about the Indian legal framework concerning sexual abuse victims? We find out
Advocate Manasi Chaudhari, Founder and CEO, Pink Legal
Despite garnering enough buzz in the country, the #MeToo movement, regardless of ground-breaking revelations against powerful men, failed to cause tangible legal results for the sexually abused. Perpetrators were let go simply because the victim spoke out or filed a formal complaint years after the abuse happened.
However, journalist and author Priya Ramani’s recent victory in the MJ Akbar v/s Priya Ramani defamation case seems to have led to a paradigm shift in India’s legal justice system. In the verdict, the Delhi trial court magistrate extended a legal shield to women speaking up against sexual harassment even when it happened decades ago, considering the systematic abuse at workplaces owing to the lack of mechanism to redress sexual harassment grievances wh
Shobhaa De | Women walk taller… But what if Ramani had lost? asianage.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from asianage.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.