Lecturer exploits rights culture to the tune of £1m
News article filed by BNP news team
A serial litigant who claimed he was the victim of repeated racial discrimination has cost the taxpayer an estimated £1million.
Indian-American Suresh Deman has found a way of cashing in on Britain’s farcical “rights culture.” For a decade he sued universities – usually claiming racial bias over failed job applications. The finance lecturer brought at least 40 cases before employment tribunals. However last year the Attorney General had him declared a “vexatious litigant” and banned him from bringing further claims.
That, then, should have been that. Mr Deman, however, had other ideas and this week sees him back before a tribunal, once again claiming discrimination.
It turns out that the ban on him bringing further cases does not apply to Northern Ireland because the province has a separate judicial body.
As a result, the 53-year-old academic is pursuing a claim dating back 11 years against the Association of University Teachers and Officers (AUT). The case is being heard, at public expense, at a fair employment tribunal in Belfast. It has already lasted nine days and is far from finished. His case goes back to 1994-95 when Mr Deman was a temporary member of the Queen’s University teaching staff.
His first job in the UK was at Queen’s and he received £30,000 in an out of court settlement 10 years after leaving. He is believed to have applied for at least 1,000 academic posts, even though he was often unqualified.
If he was not shortlisted or interviewed, a racial discrimination claim might follow. He often put in alternative applications under a non-Asian name such as “Phil White” to compare the results.
Five universities or colleges made payouts to settle actions to avoid the expense of fighting cases and four paid damages.
Last year, in banning him from pursuing future tribunals, the judge, Mr Justice Underhill, said Mr Deman “has an obsession that he is a victim of racial discrimination which exists without reference to the evidence in any particular case.”
His payouts include £12,000 from Kings College London, £11,000 from Sheffield University, £14,500 from Imperial College and £15,500 from Swansea.
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