Court of Appeal overturns medic's race discri

The UK Court of Appeal has overturned an employment tribunal decision that awarded a record payout of over £800,000 to an Asian surgeon.

Rajendra Chaudhary, from Manchester, accused the British Medical Association (BMA) of "indirect" race discrimination, claiming that it had failed to support him in race discrimination claims against medical regulatory bodies.

However, the Court of Appeal ruled against the earlier decision, suggesting that the BMA had chosen not to support Mr Chaudhary because his claims against regulatory bodies were not "well-founded in fact or law".

Dr Chaudhury claimed that he was unfairly refused promotion by regulatory bodies to registrar status because of his ethnic background and the BMA had not supported him in his claims.

The BMA has welcomed the result and claims that it has been "vindicated" by the Court of Appeal's decision.

Dr Chaudhary, who qualified as a surgeon in India in 1981, has stated that the court's decision is "wrong" and called for all overseas doctors in Britain to receive equal access to training. He is now considering appealing to the House of Lords over the ruling.

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Date:31/07/2007 11:31:00