#MeToo India: 97 Lawyers Against One Woman!

If the last 10 days have taught us anything, it is that it is never easy to come out with a story that is laden with sexual abuse and trauma. Women have been conditioned to accept sexual abuse, inequality and harassment as a part of daily life. When one woman speaks up, it empowers other women to speak up, something which led to the #MeToo movement. One of the biggest takeaways from this initiative is that there are some strong women out there who are not afraid to speak the truth or stand up for themselves.

Journalist Priya Ramani levelled charges of sexual misconduct against Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar. She wrote about how she wrote on sexual harassment for an article in Vogue magazine but didn’t name him, only to detail it 20 years later as she had had enough.

I began this piece with my MJ Akbar story. Never named him because he didn’t “do” anything. Lots of women have worse stories about this predator—maybe they’ll share. #ulti https://t.co/5jVU5WHHo7

— Priya Ramani (@priyaramani) October 8, 2018

10 other women journalists have claimed that they endured something very similar to what Priya Ramani faced. Speaking on this, Akbar said that he denied all these allegations and has since filed a defamation suit against the journalist.

“The scandalous allegations levelled by the accused, by the very tone and tenor are ex-facie defamatory and have not only damaged the goodwill and reputation of the complainant in his social circles and on the political stage but affected his personal reputation in the community, friends, family,” reads the legal notice.

To defend Akbar in this case, 97 lawyers of a law firm have been roped in. Needless to say, other members of the media are rallying for Priya Ramani in this case.

97 lawyers against one woman @priyaramani . Then they talk of due process #MeToo #MJAkbar.

— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) October 15, 2018

Just read the entire criminal defamation suit filed by MJ Akbar. He has NINETY SEVEN lawyers fighting for him! 97! Against one @priyaramani. Well well

— Nidhi Razdan (@Nidhi) October 15, 2018

Meanwhile, 97 advocates from a top powerful law firm to defend MoS MEA MJ Akbar against sexual harassment allegations as he files criminal defamation suit against journalist Priya Ramani. Journalists in India need to fight back this intimidation. #MeToo pic.twitter.com/H0XYNgbpNp

— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) October 15, 2018

Following the filing of the complaint, Ramani said in a statement that she was “deeply disappointed that a Union minister should dismiss the detailed allegations of several women as a political conspiracy”.