Sanju Pal, an NRI professional, won her appeal in the UK High Court after a six-year battle for workplace fairness related to chronic illness. This case highlights significant issues of disability discrimination under the Equality Act 2010.
International
-Sathish Raman
An
NRI
professional,
Sanju
Pal,
has
won
her
High
Court
appeal
in
London
after
a
six-year
legal
battle.
This
case
is
significant
for
women
with
chronic
illnesses
like
endometriosis.
Pal,
from
West
Bengal,
challenged
her
dismissal
by
Accenture
UK
Ltd,
arguing
it
was
unfair
under
the
UK’s
Employment
Rights
Act
1996
and
related
to
disability
discrimination
under
the
UK’s
Equality
Act
2010.
image
Sanju
Pal,
an
NRI
professional,
won
her
appeal
in
the
UK
High
Court
after
a
six-year
battle
for
workplace
fairness
related
to
chronic
illness.
This
case
highlights
significant
issues
of
disability
discrimination
under
the
Equality
Act
2010.
The
Employment
Appeal
Tribunal
(EAT)
found
the
original
tribunal’s
reasoning
on
disability
discrimination
inadequate.
“Ms
Sanju
Pal
succeeds
in
appeal
against
global
management
consulting
firm
Accenture
at
the
Employment
Appeal
Tribunal
EAT,” her
lawyers
stated.
The
EAT
highlighted
that
medical
evidence
supported
Pal’s
claim
of
being
affected
by
endometriosis.
Disability
Discrimination
and
Workplace
Fairness
The
EAT
noted
that
the
tribunal
failed
to
assess
whether
Pal’s
condition
would
continue
to
affect
her
daily
activities
without
treatment.
This
oversight
means
the
issue
of
disability
must
be
reconsidered
entirely.
Endometriosis
affects
around
1.5
million
women
in
the
UK,
causing
pelvic
pain
and
other
symptoms.
Pal’s
case
began
in
2019
when
she
was
dismissed
for
alleged
underperformance
after
not
being
promoted
to
senior
manager
at
Accenture
UK
Ltd.
She
contested
this
dismissal
at
an
Employment
Tribunal,
which
ruled
in
her
favour
in
May
2022
but
awarded
only
£4,275
as
a
“basic
award.” The
EAT
has
now
sent
the
case
back
to
a
newly
constituted
tribunal
for
a
fresh
review.
Challenging
Progression-Based
Dismissals
The
appeal
also
questioned
Accenture’s
progression-based
model,
which
could
lead
to
dismissal
if
an
employee
isn’t
ready
for
promotion
within
a
set
timeframe.
The
EAT
upheld
this
ground
of
appeal,
stating
that
dismissal
should
be
based
on
capability
related
to
the
work
specified
in
the
employment
contract.
Pal’s
legal
team
argued
that
her
dismissal
under
this
model
might
not
be
fair
under
‘capability’ grounds.
Kilgannon
&
Partners
stated,
“Upholding
this
ground
of
appeal,
the
EAT
confirmed
that
an
employee
can
only
be
dismissed
for
capability
relating
to
the
work
of
the
kind
which
he
was
employed
by
the
employer
to
do.”
Legal
and
Personal
Triumph
The
High
Court
panel,
led
by
Judge
James
Tayler,
noted
that
the
original
tribunal
had
an
“extremely
adverse
view”
of
Pal.
Despite
this,
she
successfully
raised
funds
through
CrowdJustice
for
her
appeal
heard
on
December
9,
2025.
Pal
expressed
relief
at
winning
this
long
struggle.
Pal
has
been
recognised
with
the
UK
Prime
Minister’s
Points
of
Light
Award
as
the
founder
of
Rural
India
Social
Enterprise
RISE,
an
education
charity
benefiting
both
the
UK
and
rural
India.
Reflecting
on
her
journey,
she
said,
“It
has
been
such
an
uphill
battle
to
get
to
this
point
and
I
cannot
believe
that
it’s
all
over.”
Accenture
UK
Ltd
has
declined
to
comment
on
this
ongoing
legal
matter.
The
outcome
of
this
case
may
influence
future
workplace
policies
regarding
employees
with
chronic
health
conditions.
With
inputs
from
PTI
