A 40-year-old gay man, Shadab Khan, has filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court against Salman Khan's Being Human Clothing (Four Aces Fashion House Private Limited), alleging prolonged homophobic abuse and retaliation for filing complaints during his over seven-year tenure as a Senior Business Development Manager in Mumbai.
According to the petition, Being Human's CEO Sanjeev Rao repeatedly taunted Khan for being "soft," "weak," and "feminine" during business meetings. Rao even attempted to prevent Khan from representing the company at an external event, telling the COO Vivek Sandhwar that "someone like him" could not represent a brand owned by a "macho man" like Salman Khan.
The HR Head, Farzeen Khan, repeatedly questioned Khan's unmarried status, and when he explained that he was gay and had a Hindu partner, she told him that being gay was a sin according to Islam.
Khan alleges that he was given unrealistic goals and deadlines and was denied company benefits such as mobile phone reimbursement. The company lacked a proper complaint procedure or grievance committee, and when Khan narrated his ordeal to Managing Director Alvira Agnihotri, she dismissed him, saying not to bother her. The case is scheduled to be heard on July 3, 2024.
Who is Shadab Khan
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