Priya Ramani is the journalist who called out the former newspaper editor, union minister MJ Akbar, opening the floodgates for more than 20 women—including New York-based journalist Pallavi Gogoi, who alleged Akbar raped her—to speak out.
Her words began the chain reaction that eventually led Akbar to step down from his job as a minister. He filed a criminal defamation case against her that is likely to become a landmark case pertaining to sexual harassment.
“As women, we feel vindicated by MJ Akbar’s resignation. I look forward to the day when I will also get justice in court. By instituting a case of criminal defamation against me, Mr Akbar has made his stand clear: rather than engage with the serious allegations, he seeks to silence them through intimidation and harassment. I am ready to fight allegations of defamation laid against me, as truth and the absolute truth is my only defence,” she wrote in a statement on Twitter.
