Supreme Court To Hear Transgender Woman's Plea Against Job Denial By Air India

The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear the plea of a transgender woman who was denied a job by Air India as a cabin crew member. The hearing would be held after three weeks. The petitioner had filed an application for the early hearing of her plea, as the matter is pending since 2017.

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As per a report by NDTV, the Supreme Court had allowed the transgender woman to amend her plea challenging Air India's decision of denying her a job on July 23.

A notice had been issued by the Supreme Court in 2017 seeking a response from Air India and the Civil Aviation Ministry. Their response justified the decision of not hiring the petitioner as she had not qualified for the job. They said she had failed to secure the minimum marks that would allow her to qualify for further tests. They further added that no discrimination was done on their part.

The petitioner, however, claimed that she had received a call letter after her application. The post was for a female cabin crew in Air India for its Northern Regional Office in Delhi. The transgender woman had even appeared for the personality test and group discussion rounds, “but unfortunately she has not been short-listed for the post in question even though she fared well in the tests conducted,” read her plea. She wasn’t shortlisted even once, even though she undertook four attempts.

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About the petitioner

Born in Tamil Nadu, the petitioner graduated in engineering in 2010. She underwent gender reassignment surgery in Bangkok in April 2014. In 2017, she came across an opening at Air India for a female cabin crew for its Northern Region office in Delhi. The job offer was for an initial period lasting five years, on a fixed term engagement basis.

Image Credit: Pioneer

Shikha Chandra is an intern with SheThePeople TV.