Mocked For His Autism, Indian Origin Man Studies Law To Beat Richard Branson’s Firm In Court

When it comes to science, we humans classify ourselves as social and civilised animals. While it is true that we can express our thoughts with others via speaking and care for people around us, it is also worth noting that humanity also comprises of caring for and respecting everyone, no matter how different they are from us.

In the recent past, we have unfortunately witnessed a lot of cases of discrimination around the world. From hate crimes to people hurling racial slurs at others, we have seen it all. But in what can be labelled as the worst case of all, an autistic man was mocked for his mental illness at a gym in Britain.

Disgruntled by the disrespect, the man dragged the gym to the court of law, fought the case himself and won. Here’s the complete story.

Ketan Aggarwal, a 30-year-old, Indian-origin British man from Southall, London, sued ‘Virgin Active’, a chain of gyms belonging to business tycoon, Richard Branson. Ketan, an autistic man, was discriminated for his mental disability by a worker at the gym.

 

It was in May 2015 that Ketan was attending a spin class at the gym when he complained the instructor about the music being too slow. Instead of taking care of his demand, the instructor yelled at him and called him ‘stupid’.

When Aggarwal complained the gym about the unprofessional behaviour of the instructor, ‘Virgin Active’ refused to take any action against him.

 

Disappointed by the gym, Aggarwal decided to take the fight to the court of law all by himself. He prepared for the case by borrowing books from the library, studying online articles on discrimination and consulting precedents. 

The case was registered at the Uxbridge County Court in Hayes, England.

 

Representing himself in the court, Aggarwal single-handedly defeated a team of legal experts and lawyers of the multi-million dollar company. The gym was ordered to pay him costs and compensation, apologise to him and train their staff to treat everyone equally.

“If I was that stupid I wouldn’t have been able to successfully pursue the claim against a solicitor of a billion pound company. It was two years coming and it was hard work.”

 

When asked about going to such great lengths for the justice, Aggarwal said that it was all worth it.

“It wasn’t about the money, it was about the principal.”

 

After losing the legal battle, a spokesperson of the Virgin Active apologised for the incident.

This incident should serve as a warning to everyone disrespecting others on the basis of caste, colour, sex, or as in this case, disability. We cannot call ourselves modern and civilised unless we break free from the shackles of such narrow-mindedness thoughts in our brains.

News Source: The Daily Mail

Cover Image Source: 1,2