india

Updated: Aug 24, 2019 06:46 IST

Senior journalist Priya Ramani on Friday described the events that formed the basis of her sexual harassment allegations against her former editor at Asian Age newspaper M.J. Akbar and told a Delhi court that her defense was “truth spoken in the public interest and for the public good”.

Ramani, who recorded her statement before the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal, said, “It is unfortunate that women who have experienced sexual harassment at the workplace must now defend themselves in criminal proceedings for speaking the truth.”

Akbar, who resigned as minister of state for external affairs in October 2018, had called Ramani’s allegations “malafide and defamatory”, and stated that they had “adversely affected his reputation.”

In October, Akbar filed a complaint against Ramani, who has been charged with criminal defamation under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code, which carries a penalty of up to two years in prison.

The case pertains to Ramani’s allegations of sexual misconduct by Akbar, dating back to 1993 when he was editor and proprietor of the Asian Age, and she had applied for a job at the paper. She alleged that Akbar had called her to his hotel room for an interview.

In his complaint, Akbar brings up Ramani’s tweets and an article, in which these allegations were made.

“It is wrong to suggest that the articles and tweets of Priya Ramani were meant to raise awareness of pervasiveness of the issue of sexual harassment at the workplace,” Akbar told the court during his cross-examination last month.

“It is false that my tweets affected the reputation of the complainant (Akbar). I spoke the truth and there was no deliberate attempt to harm the complainant’s reputation,” Ramani said on Friday. She also referred to other allegations of sexual harassment made by other women.

Akbar had earlier denied meeting Ramani at Mumbai’s Oberoi hotel for a job interview.

While Akbar’s witnesses have been cross-examined, Ramani’s witnesses will be called to record their statements on September 7 and 9.