An Indian couple has become the first in the UK to claim caste discrimination after they were forced to quit their jobs in a legal firm following their marriage.
An employment tribunal heard that solicitor Amardeep, 33, hailed from the higher caste of Jat, whereas her husband Vijay Begraj, 32, the practice manager, belonged to the former ‘untouchables’ or Dalits, reports the Daily Mail.
Amardeep t
old the tribunal that a senior colleague warned her against marrying Begraj on the grounds that people of his caste were ‘different creatures’ and that his position firm was ‘compromised’.
The couple met when both worked at Coventry-based solicitors Heer Manak and began dating four years later.
Begraj, who worked for the firm for seven years, was sacked last year. His wife resigned in January.