Delhi Court slaps maximum sentence on SriLankan Airlines

• Airline ordered to pay INR 50,000 

By Easwaran Rutnam 

A Court in New Delhi, India yesterday (Tuesday) awarded the maximum sentence and imposed a penalty of Indian Rupees 50,000 on Sri Lanka’s National carrier SriLankan Airlines for non-compliance of Indian law. 

The complainant’s lawyer Ajay Verma sought maximum penalty as in this case the airline has deliberately avoided its responsibility to have an ICC (Internal Complaint Committee) as per Indian Law. 

In this case, a victim had sought the prosecution of the Airline for non compliance of Section 4 of the ‘The Sexual Harassment of Women At Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition And Redressal) Act, 2013 hereinafter called “POSH Act”, which is a punishable offence. 

Under Section 26 of the Act “POSH Act” a fine of an amount up to fifty thousand Indian Rupees can be imposed. 

After taking into account the conduct of the Airline, the Judge imposed a maximum penalty. 

In another case, the Airline’s Regional Manager Lalith De Silva has already been convicted by the same court on the 16th of September, for sexually harassing and insulting the modesty of one of its Indian national female staff members at the time when he was in India. 

The Police case was registered and was prosecuted by the State and after the trial he was convicted.