An Air India (AI) union leader has moved the Bombay high court seeking to restrain the airline from conducting an inquiry against him for taking 495 days dispensation from flight duties and engaging in construction business in Pune.
Sanjay Lazar, general secretary, Air India Cabin Crew Association, said he is “one of the victims” of Kanishka air tragedy in which he lost his parents and sister and was a witness in the public inquiry conducted by justice John Major in Canada.
His petition states that his trade union activities “were not liked” by the airline and “there were attempts to silence” him.
Lazar has challenged two charge sheets issued to him in January 2007 and September 2007 under the Certified Standing Orders of the erstwhile Air India Limited which ceased to exist after its merger with Indian Airlines into Nation Aviation Company of India Limited (NACIL) on March 30, 2007. The authority under the Industrial Establishment (Standing Orders) Act on March 11, 2009 held that there is no provision in the act to continue the orders of AI Ltd for employees of NACIL.
According to the charge sheets, as senior check flight purser in the Inflight Service Department, Lazar “unauthorisedly availed of exemption from flight duties under the pretext of union work”, despite not being an office bearer or managing committee member, for 495 days from January 2004 to December 2005. Further, he “at the company’s cost engaged in business” as co-promoter in a residential project at Pune. It states that an AI employee he is not authorised to do any private business or engage in dual employment or activities involving pecuniary gain without official permission.
Denying all charges, Lazar’s said that he intimated AI about owning a row house on September 15, 2006.
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