Supreme Court Comes To The Aid Of Transgender Engineer From Tamil Nadu Who Was Denied Air Hostess Job By Air India, Base

The Supreme Court has given four weeks time to the Civil Aviation Ministry to respond to a complaint filed by Shanavi Ponnusamy, a transgender woman from Tamil Nadu who alleged that she was denied a job as an air hostess, because of her gender.

AP/ File

Ponnusamy, a 26-year-old Engineering graduate, had worked with Sutherland and Air India Customer Support before she underwent a sex change operation to become a female in 2014.

According to her complaint, in 2017 she applied for the post of cabin crew member with Air India and despite doing well in the tests, she was not selected.

BCCL/ Representational Image

Ponnusamy then came to know that she was not chosen because she was a transgender, and the vacancies in the cabin crew are earmarked only for women.

¡°That the petitioner has learnt that she has not been able to make the cut on account of the fact that she is a transgender and the vacancies in the cabin crew are earmarked only for women,¡± Ponnusamy said in her petition.

In her petition, Ponnusamy contested that the Air India's discrimination was against the constitutional right of transgenders and referred to an earlier Supreme Court order which recognised transgender as the third gender.

This is the second similar case in recent times, transgenders have sought legal remedy against discrimination on job.

Earlier, Sabi Giri, a sailor who was with the Indian Navy had approached the Delhi High Court after she was discharged from service, for undergoing a sex change.

Indiatimes

Giri who joined the Navy seven years ago was discharged last month by evoking the clause of Service No Longer Required under the Navy Regulations.

The Navy said the sex change surgery breached the Recruitment Regulations and eligibility criteria for employment as a Sailor in the Indian Navy.