Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court Friday
ordered the Indian Airlines, now Air India, to take back an air hostess, who was sacked for being overweight.
A division bench comprising Justice Pratap Kumar Ray
and Justice M K Sinha directed the airlines to set up a
medical board to ascertain her medical condition and give her
ground duties accordingly within two months.
The bench also directed the national carrier to pay
all her dues since 2001 within three months.
The 44-year-old Nipa Dhar was dismissed from her job
by the Indian Airlines in 2001 for being overweight, without
referring her for medical treatment or giving her alternative
work like ground duty.
Her counsel Madhumita Roy submitted before the bench
that Dhar had become overweight after taking medicines
prescribed by an airline doctor for altitude phobia.
A single judge bench had earlier rejected her plea and
upheld her dismissal.
Challenging the order, Dhar had moved the division bench
which today upheld her plea.
PTI
First Published: Friday, December 10, 2010, 15:50