HC strikes down ex-AI air hostess’s dismissal

Mumbai: In a relief to a retired air hostess, the Bombay High Court held that her dismissal from service by the then Air India (AI) chairman and managing director Arvind Jadhav violated principles of natural justice as she was not given a hearing.
Rani Radhakrishnan, who joined Air India as an air hostess in June 1976 and retired as manager (in-flight services department), challenged Jadhav's July 15, 2010, order dismissing her from service without full retirement benefits. She was due to retire on July 31, 2010, on attaining superannuation. Her advocate Mohan Bir Singh argued that her dismissal after 34 years of service was "sudden, without any warning, show-cause notice, hearing or other opportunity". Trouble began for the AI employee, when Soman Allapat filed a cheating case against her husband, Sebastian Felix, a travel agent.
The police complaint stated that Radhakrishnan was present when Allapat paid Felix to arrange some visas. Following this, a chargesheet was filed against her on October 11, 2006 and she was suspended. Later, the complaint was withdrawn and the magistrate accepted the closure report of the police stating that it was wrongly filed. On April 4, 2007, Allapat wrote to AI officials stating that he had lodged the complaint "to teach Felix a lesson" and requested them to withdraw any action against Radhakrishnan. On July 7, 2008, her suspension was revoked by the disciplinary authority, however, Jadhav set it aside and ordered her dismissal.
12/12/11 Rosy Sequeira/Times of India

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Categories: Air India Dec 2011