SC chides IA for abrupt termination of air hostess

The Supreme Court chided the Indian Airlines for abruptly terminating the services of nine air hostesses for being overweight.

The Supreme Court chided the Indian Airlines for abruptly terminating the services of nine air hostesses for being overweight at a time when the dispute is pending adjudication before it.

“Why are Indian Airlines behaving like this? Is it because we have not stayed the high court order?” a bench of Justices Tarun Chatterjee and H L Dattu said while posting thee matter for hearing to April 24.

Counsel for the Indian Airlines said he would seek instructions from the management and file his response on the issue.

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The bench made the observations after counsel Arvind Kumar Sharma for the aggrieved air hostess alleged their services were terminated on December 12,2008,despite the fact that the apex court was examining the validity of the Indian Airlines rules imposing restrictions on the maximum physical weight of air hostess.

Some of the air hostess had earlier filed an Special Leave Petition in the apex court after the Delhi High Court had upheld the Indian Airlines’ decision to relieve them of their on-flight duties and allotted them ground duties as they were found to have exceeded the maximum weight.

The high court felt there was no illegality in the order as certain minimum standards of physical appearance were required for an air hostess engaged in serving passengers on flight duties.

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