In the first case of its kind in the UK,an Indian couple approached an employment tribunal claiming they were wrongfully dismissed from their jobs and were discriminated against on grounds of caste. Vijay Begraj,32,a former law firm practice manager is a dalit while his solicitor wife Amardeep,33,is a Jat. After a four-year courtship at their workplace the pair decided to marry,according to a report in The Times. Amardeep gave evidence describing how her career and health had been blighted when the inter-caste office romance upset her employers. The case comes in the wake of British Home Secretary Theresa Mays consideration of whether to add the caste system to race,sex,religion and sexuality in British equality law. Employers at Heer Manak,a Coventry-based firm of solicitors,allegedly tried to discourage the couple from marrying. Even at her wedding in a Gurdwara,hurtful remarks were passed about how she was marrying beneath her caste,the report said. The bosses,who have been brought before the employment tribunal in Birmingham,are understood to regard the allegations as outrageous. While Amardeep was burdened with more work and reduced secretarial support leading to her resignation last January,her husband Vijay ,who worked for the solicitors for seven years was dismissed last year. Both Vijay and Amardeep are claiming unfair dismissal,unauthorised deduction of wages,unpaid holiday pay,race discrimination,breach of contract,discrimination on the ground of religion or belief and failure to provide a statement of the terms and conditions of employment.
