Indian maid claims she was treated as slave by London lawyer

London, Feb 25: An Indian maid has accused a senior British Government lawyer of enslaving her and fed scraps for four years.

According to media reports, 43-year-old widow named Pratima Das alleges that she was forced to work 15 hours a day without any payment and her passport was confiscated while worked as a nanny and cleaner for her former employer, Shibani Rahulan, principal legal adviser at the Britain’s department of health.

Moreover, maid claim that she had been a victim of human trafficking when she was brought to London from India by Rahulan in 2004 and escaped from Rahulan’s house in 2008.

The allegation were revealed in a court in Britain when maid lawyers argued at the appeal court it should overturn an Employment Tribunal's decision not to hear her original case because she was "out of time".

Reports further claim that the first petition of the maid was ruled out by court as her file case on original Employment Tribunal action was 42 days late. She was then a further 80 days late in applying to the Employment Appeal Tribunal.

The court heard housekeeper was from a ‘low caste' family in India and had been told she would be paid £100 a month for working which should have been paid directly to her family abroad in rupees.

Meanwhile, the British lawyer has denied all allegation by producing photos of the nanny at family gatherings and holidays. Furthermore he said that maid passport was kept with all the family passports in the house as she lived as a member of the family. Which proves she was not kept under duress. Currently, She is living in Southampton and seeking permission to stay in Britain permanently.

OneIndia News