Bengaluru #MeToo voices hail Priya Ramani acquittal

They say the verdict is empathetic and in keeping with the spirit of the Constitution

Women in Bengaluru acting during the #MeToo movement are celebrating the Delhi court verdict acquitting journalist Priya Ramani.

In 2018, M J Akbar, then a Union minister, had filed a criminal defamation case against Priya after
she accused him of sexual harassment.

Sandhya Menon, writer and communications professional who was one of those who steered the campaign from Bengaluru, described Priya’s acquittal as ‘a victory for all’.

“I am absolutely delighted for Priya. Words don’t do justice for how terrific I feel now,” she says.

After she called out editor K R Sreenivas, Sandhya heard a Rs 5 crore defamation case would be filed against her.

“I kept waiting and nothing happened. By the end of the week, he resigned. Since 2018, I have gone to the police station six times. Despite repeated calls and summonses, he hasn’t appeared before the police even once,” she says. The case is still open.

A district court in Delhi has delivered a judgment deep in empathy and rooted in the Constitution, she told Metrolife.

“Every line in this judgement is fantastic,” says singer Chinmayi Sripada, cast out of the Dubbing Union in Chennai for naming renowned lyricist Vairamuthu in her #MeToo story.

“We need to understand that women take decades to speak up, and if they are silent, it is because of the trauma they faced. This judgement sets a strong precedent,” she says.

Recalling her own experience, Chinmayi says: “During the movement, Vairamuthu was in trouble because he called Hindu goddess Andal a devadasi. They linked my issue with the controversy. The BJP had its own axe to grind against Vairamuthu and they used me as a pawn.”

Kannada actor Sonu Gowda was among those who had backed colleague Sruthi Hariharan when she accused multilingual movie
star Arjun Sarja of sexual misbehaviour. “The verdict has instilled confidence in women that their wings won’t be clipped and that they won’t be forced into silence again,” says Sonu.

The verdict definitely makes a difference for women who decide to speak up, says Sandhya. “The fact that the judge alluded to Article 21 and the right to expression, and mentioned that a woman may express her grievance on any platform, was very important for me,” she
says.

The verdict brings to light the complex nature of sexual harassment at the workplace. It validates what women started two-and-a-half years ago, she says.

‘Structures shaken’

Advocate Avani Chokshi says the case was handled well and the judgment went by evidence. “Societal power structures, which exist in the judiciary as well, seem to have been shaken,” she remarks.

While this is a landmark judgement, she is cautious in her optimism. “It is a fact that sexual harassment is not dealt with well in Indian courts, as demonstrated in the case against former chief justice Ranjan Gogoi,” she says.