NRI lecturer pockets 2 lakh pounds suing universities in UK

LONDON: NRI academic, Suresh Deman, seems to have made it a full fledged profession to sue universities and cash in on Britain's rights culture as he pocketed a whopping 2 lakh pounds in payouts and cost the taxpayer an estimated 1 million pounds.

Deman, who describes himself as Indian-American, has sued universities for a decade - usually claiming racial bias over failed job applications - as he collected nearly 2 lakh pounds in payouts and cost the taxpayer an estimated 1 million pounds.

The finance lecturer brought at least 40 cases to employment tribunals before the Attorney General last year had him declared a 'vexatious litigant' and banned him from bringing further claims.

That, then should have been that. Deman, however, had other ideas and this week sees him back before a tribunal, once again claiming discrimination.

It turns out that the ban on him bringing further cases does not apply to Northern Ireland because the province has a separate judicial body.  As a result, 53-year old Deman is pursuing a claim dating back 11 years against Association of University Teachers and Officers.

The case is being heard, at public expense, at a fair employment tribunal in Belfast. It has already lasted nine days and is far from finished.

With Deman representing himself, proceedings have been delayed by a succession of objections, legal applications and complaints from the claimant.

In his latest case, the serial litigant is claiming to have been a victim of race, religious, sexual and political discrimination. His case goes back to 1994-95 when Deman was a temporary member of the Queen's University teaching staff.