Thread by @GarvitaKhybri

#PriyaRamani - #MJAkbar defamation hearing resumes. Ghazala Wahab, to testify in the court of Additional Chief Metropolian Magistrate Vishal Pahuja.
@TheQuint

Ghazala Wahab takes oath and starts to talk about herself.
‘I have been a journalist for the last 25 years. I grew up in Agra, I graduated in journalism hons. from DU’.
#MJAkbar-#PriyaRamani defamation hearing.
@TheQuint @IndiaMeToo

‘I joined the Asian Age in the Delhi office in 1994. I left Asian Age as Chief sun Editor in Jan 1998. I joined the Telegraph in Feb 1998 as corespondent in the Delhi office.’: @ghazalawahab testifies in the #MJAkbar defamation hearing.
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‘Later I started Force magazine which is a monthly magazine on national security focused on Defence, internal security and aerospace. I have also contributed a chapter on insurgency in J&K in the 2003 book ‘Operation Parakaram’’: Ghazala Wahab

‘I was the first woman in my family to step outside Agra and pursue higher education’: @ghazalawahab

MJ Akbar’s advocate raises objections to Ghazala’s testimony, says she cannot ‘go on’ about her personal and professional life as it is not relevant to the case.

John reads out definition of defamation under IPC, which lists truth as a defence. Akbar has repeatedly cited damage to his reputation multiple times in his complaint. This examination of witness is necessary, argues #PriyaRamani’s Lawyer Rebecca John.
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‘@ghazalawahab tweeted before #PriyaRamani did. Hence, she will explain the context. The #METOO movement in India have her the platform to make her allegations public’: Senior advocate Rebecca John
@IndiaMeToo @TheQuint

The judge asks Geeta Luthra to stop interrupting the court again and again. He says Rebecca John is a senior counsel and will not ‘waste’ the court’s time.

Wahab starts testimony after the objections are rested.
‘The Asian Age office was on the 2nd floor of the Surya Kiran Building, KG Marg in Delhi. In the middle of 1996, the office shifted to Vandana building on Tolstory Marg’: @ghazalawahab testifies her #MeToo story

‘In the renovated office, Mr Akbar, the bureau and the features section was located. This was a spacious office, Akbar’s room in this office was nearly 300 sq feet. This was the time, I was promoted as Chief sub editor and for the 1st time I was reporting directly to Akbar’:Wahab

‘My desk was placed right outside his office is such a amanner that the fort of his room was even slightly open, he could watch me at my desk. Many times while I was working on my PC, when I looked up from my screen, I found Akbar watching me.’ @ghazalawahab’s #MeToo story

‘Then he started sending me personal messages on the Asian Age intranet msging service. These msgs pertained to my clothes and appearance.’: @ghazalawahab gives her @IndiaMeToo story
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‘Sometime in Aug 1997, in the afternoon, @mjakbar called me to his room. As I went in, he asked me to shut the door. Then he asked me to look up a word in the dictionary which was placed on a low 3-legged stool across his desk. It was placed so low that one had to bend down.’

‘When I bend down, @mjakbar cake from behind and grabbed my waist. He ran his hands from my breasts to my hips. I tried to push his hands away but they were firmly planted on my waist’: @ghazalawahab’ @IndiaMeToo story.
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‘Then @mjakbar rubbed his thumb on my breast. I resisted. Not only was the door shut, his back was against it’: @ghazalawahab speaks out in court. #MeToo

Geeta Luthra objects to her statements. The judge intervenes and asks how can she raise objections without having heard her out?
#MJAkbar- #PriyaRamani defamation hearing

‘Next day, he again msged me on The intranet to come in his office . I entered. He immediately held me by my shoulder and forcefully tried to kiss me. I was speechless with fear but continued to push against him. He finally released me, I ran out howling’: @ghazalawahab

‘I went back to the office to speak with Seema Mustafa who was the bureau chief. I narrated the incident of sexual misconduct to Seema, I told her that #Akbar had been behaving badly and that her even forcibly kissed me. I was hoping Seema would speak to Akbar’: Ghazala Wahab

‘Seema said she wasn’t surprised at @mjakbar’s behavior and she couldn’t do anything about it. She said it was my call what I wanted to do. I was 26 then, alone, confused and helpless and petrified.’

#MeToo

‘Asian Age has no mechanism in place to hear matters of sexual harassment. It had no sexual harassment policy of committee. I was on my own. Not only was #Akbar the editor-in-Chief, he had also been an MP and former spokesperson’: @ghazalawahab

‘Workplaces in 1997 were very different from workplaces now. Women were not encouraged to speak out against male colleagues’

‘My whole life loomed in front of me. Women from my families only studied, they never worked.’: @ghazalawahab details her trauma at Asian Age newspaper
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‘I sent a msg to Mr Akbar on the intranet telling him that I held him in high regard as an author, but his unwelcoming sexual advances were unacceptable to me. I told him I did not want him to behave like that with me again.’

‘Akbar immediately sent a msg asking me to come in. He lectured me on how I was humiliating him by refusing his ‘genuine’ emotions towards me’: @ghazalawahab

‘Thereafter I applied to a number of places for a job. But it was difficult to find a job.’

‘Then, I hatched a plan with my friend and colleague. Every time @mjakbar called me in his office, I got my friend to accompany me inside.’: @ghazalawahab’s #MeToo story

@mjakbar @ghazalawahab 'Even Akbar's PA got to know about the harassment. She privately offered support to her. Once he sent a tarot card reader to speak to me. That reader told me that Akbar was in love with me and that I should stop resisting him.' @ghazalawahab speaks out in court.
#MeToo