Date:27/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/27/stories/2008082759490500.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Petition by British Airways staff dismissed

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition by two employees of British Airways (BA) seeking a direction to quash a police complaint registered against them by a Bangalore-based doctor.

In their petitions, BA employees Susan Charles and Sharli Palmer, said the Airport police had registered a case against them following a complaint by Sunita Agarwal, Medical Director of Agarwal Hospitals, Bangalore.

In her complaint to the police, Dr. Agarwal said she and her husband were travelling on a BA flight from the United States to India when she was allegedly insulted and racially abused by Ms. Charles and Ms. Palmer.

She said when she deplaned at Bangalore, she lodged a complaint against the BA employees.\ Denying the allegations, the BA employees said in their petition that they were distributing free confectionery to the passengers when Dr. Agarwal helped herself to a large number of sweets. They told her to limit herself to a few as they had to distribute them to other passengers and the crew. To this, Dr. Agarwal abused them and warned them that she would complain to their higher-ups about their behaviour.