#MeToo: Shameful that crime against women happening in land of Mahabharata, Ramayana, says court

New Delhi: It is shameful that incidents of crime and violence against women are happening in a country where epics such as ”Mahabarata” and ”Ramayana” were written around the theme of respect for women, a Delhi court said on Wednesday.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Pandey made the observation while throwing out a criminal defamation case filed by former Union minister M J Akbar against journalist Priya Ramani for accusing him of sexual misconduct decades ago.

“It is shameful that the incidents of crime and violence against women are happening in the country where mega epics such as ”Mahabarata” and ”Ramayana” were written around the theme of respect for women,” the court said.

Referring to religious scriptures, the court further said that in “Valmiki Ramayan, the reference of great respect is found, when Prince Laxman was asked to describe about Princess Sita, he answered that he remembers only her feet as he had never looked beyond that.”

It also said that in the ”Aranaya Kand of Ramcharitmanas”, a reference of noble tradition of “protecting, respecting and promoting the dignity of women is found, and it refers about noble ”Jatayu” (a mithical bird) when witnessed the crime of abduction of princess ”Sita”, he came swiftly to protect princess Sita and consequently his wings were cut down by Ravan, the abductor of the Sita.

“The noble bird ”Jatayu” though was wounded and was dying, he lived long enough to pass the information of abduction of princesses Sita to the Prince Ram and Prince Laxman,” the court noted.

It added that “similarly, in ”Sabha Parv of Mahabharta”, the reference is found about the appeal of queen Draupadi for justice to the Kuru Raj Sabha and she questioned the legality of her treatment of being dragged by Dushasana into the dice hall.”