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Court orders Indian Airlines to reinstate 'fat' airhostess

December 10, 2010 15:55 IST
The Calcutta high court on Friday ordered Indian Airlines, now Air India, to take back an airhostess, who was sacked for being overweight.

A division bench comprising Justice Pratap Kumar Ray and Justice M K Sinha directed the airline 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.

Forty-four-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 on Friday upheld her plea.
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