News: Indian Court Hears Case Of Man Allegedly Fired Over Moustache

NEW DELHI, India (AFP) - The case of a flight steward who claimed India's state-run domestic carrier dismissed him because of his handlebar moustache was heard Monday by the Supreme Court, a report said.

Victor De, a former Indian Airlines employee, said the carrier assigned him to ground duties in 1998 and later compulsorily retired him in 2001 for allegedly not adhering to service rules on uniform and appearance. "How can a person with a moustache be removed?

This is a democratic country," said judges H K Sema and Markandey Katju, according to the Press Trust of India news agency. In his petition, De said he joined Indian Airlines as a steward in 1994 and was later promoted to assistant manager of flight services.

De said he sported the elaborate moustache as part of family tradition. But he said the airline told him that all male flight stewards, except those belonging to India's minority Sikh community, should be clean-shaven or keep neatly trimmed moustaches, not handlebar moustaches. It was not clear if De, who filed his case in 1998, was seeking reinstatement or compensation.