Gay Rights Era: Tech Mahindra sets an example, fires diversity officer who harassed Gay man

September 16, 2018:

Employee shared that he left the organisation for ‘constant humiliation’ he faced for his sexuality.

In the perhaps the first case dealing with workplace homophobia and discrimination since Supreme Court de-criminalised consensual sex with same-sex partners by partially striking down Section 377, an employee accused of discrimination against a Gay man was fired by the company.

Tech Mahindra announced on their Twitter account: “@gauravpramanik, arising out of an investigation carried out in the matter, concerned employee has been separated from the employment of the company with immediate effect. At Tech Mahindra, we believe in diversity & inclusion & condemn discrimination of any kind in the workplace.

In a letter, Gaurav Pramanik had alleged that his Diversity Officer Richa Gautam called him effeminate and alleged that it affected his work. Incident took place back in 2015.

He alleged that she asked an officer who was weeping if he was ‘gay’, and exhibited Islamophobia calling Muslims a ‘global pain’.

He told a news organisation that he left the organisation for ‘constant humiliation’ he faced for his sexuality.

IT company Tech Mahindra had stated that it would conduct a thorough probe after a Former Employee, just days after Supreme Court decriminalising homosexuality, alleged harassment and discrimination by his then Team Manager in 2015.

On September 6, Supreme Court in a historic ruling had said that consensual gay sex is not a crime, while striking down a British era law that it said violates the right to equality.

Source PTI