INDIAN journalist Priya Ramani celebrated victory in a “landmark” case after she was cleared of defamation today over allegations of sexual harassment made against a leading politician.

The Delhi Court made its judgement in a high-profile case that has lasted almost two years, after the rise of India’s #MeToo movement triggered allegations of sexual harassment against former Indian minister MJ Akbar.

He was accused of “predatory conduct” by Ms Ramani and scores of other women who came forward in the wake of the allegations against the writer-turned-politician.

He sued Ms Ramani, who wrote an article in Vogue in 2017 recalling her experiences of sexual harrassment in relation to the US #MeToo movement, where allegations against powerful movie mogul Harvey Weinstein proved the catalyst.

Though she didn’t name Mr Akbar in the original piece, which described an incident in a hotel, in October 2018 she confirmed that he was the unnamed boss referred to in the article titled: To the Harvey Weinsteins of the world.

This led to more women coming forward to share their experiences at the hands of the politician, who resigned his position as a junior government minister in the wake of the scandal.

He sued Ms Ramani for criminal defamation, denying the allegations and insisting that Ms Ramani had damaged his “stellar reputation.”

But in delivering the verdict, the judge said that “a woman cannot be punished for raising her voice against sexual abuse,” adding that “society must understand the impact of sexual abuse and harassment on its victims.” 

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ravindra Pandey said that “a man of social status can also be a sexual harasser” and that “sexual abuse takes away dignity and self-confidence and right of reputation can’t be protected at the cost of right to dignity.”

Ms Ramani said she felt “vindicated on behalf of all the women who have spoken up against sexual harassment at work” — but hit out at being placed in a situation “where it was me, the victim, who had to stand up in court as the accused.”

During the hearing the journalist said: “I could have kept silent, then I wouldn’t be the target, but that wouldn’t have been the right thing to do.”