Indian-American neurologist, Dr. Jaswinder Pal Singh, has filed a suit against a medical group in Tennessee, US alleging that he was denied a job after the employer and recruiter inquired into his religious appearance.
Dr. Singh migrated to the United States from India in 2008 to pursue a Master's Degree in Health Care Management followed by specialized training in Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology.
In August 2014, Dr. Singh applied for a neurologist position at Premier Medical Group in Tennessee, through the recruiting firm Arthur Marshall.
The suit alleges that as part of the hiring process, the employer, Premier Medical Group and its recruiter, Arthur Marshall expressed concern about Dr. Singh’s appearance.
Although in initial interviews the recruiter extolled Dr. Singh’s credentials, Dr. Singh was ultimately denied the position after he submitted photographs of himself, along with information on Sikhs and Sikhism.
As an observant Sikh, Dr. Singh maintains unshorn hair, including a beard, and wears a turban.
A sikh advocacy group, The Sikh Coalition said, ‘The practice of requesting photographs in the hiring process is widely disapproved of by employment law experts and human resources professionals alike, as it opens the door to discrimination based on protected traits like race, color, national origin and religion.’
This group which represents Dr. Singh filed a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 2015.
After the EEOC issued a right to sue notice, they have now filed an anti-discrimination lawsuit against the employer, Premier Medical Group, and its recruiter, Arthur Marshall, on behalf of Dr. Singh on December 27th, 2016.
"No Sikh in any job or profession should ever be denied employment because of their religion. By speaking out and taking action, I know that we will continue to hold employers directly accountable," Dr. Jaswinder Pal Singh said.
Source: The Sikh Coalition
The case is now pending before the court.
