Airhostess job restored *Calcutta, Dec. 10:* Calcutta High Court today directed Air India to allow Neepa Dhar, an airhostess who was sacked nine years ago for being overweight and allegedly mentally ill, to re-join work immediately.
A division bench of Justice P.K. Roy and Justice M.K. Sinha also directed the airline to arrange a medical check-up for Dhar within two months and assign her a suitable job on ground on the basis of the doctors’ opinion. The bench asked the authorities to disburse her salary dues and corresponding benefits for the period between 2001 and 2010. Dhar, now 42, had joined Indian Airlines in 1987 as an airhostess. After 10 years of service, she started having problems flying. Doctors employed by the airline started her treatment. They opined that she had been suffering from “high altitude anxiety syndrome” and was unfit to fly. “Dhar was assigned ground duty. But her dereliction of duty prompted the airline authorities to send her again to the doctors. The panel said Dhar was overweight and suffering from a mental disease. So in June 2001, the authorities terminated her service,” said R.N. Majumdar, the lawyer who represented the airline. According to the doctors, Dhar was 15kg overweight when examined. Dhar’s counsel Madhumita Roy said: “My client had gained weight after taking the medicines prescribed by the doctors. Moreover, a patient suffering from mental illness can be termed disabled only after she develops more than 40 per cent of the disease. The Indian Airlines authorities never conducted any test to ascertain the percentage of her disability, if she was at all so.” In June 2001, Dhar moved the high court to challenge the termination order. In 2004, Justice G.C. Gupta upheld the decision taken by the airline. Dhar then moved the division bench to challenge the judgment. The division bench said: “According to the Persons With Disability (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, no disabled person can be removed from his or her service.” Dhar told The Telegraph on Friday: “I have been fighting this legal battle for the past 10 years. But I never gave up hope. I was sure that I would get justice. Today, I am very happy. I am feeling great that I would be able to join Air India again.” http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101211/jsp/siliguri/story_13286578.jsp To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
