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The BBC has reached a 50,000-pound out-of-court settlement with a journalist of Indian origin who accused it of racial and sexual discrimination.
Sharan Sandhu (51) told an employment tribunal that she had been repeatedly passed over for promotion between 1991 and 1999 because of her colour and gender.
Sandhu, who joined the BBC in 1990 as a sub-editor, claimed that a corps of white male journalists reigned over the BBC World Service with a 'mentality that demeaned and embarrassed ethnic minority colleagues'.
She told the employment tribunal in central London that she had to endure a 'boys' club culture' at Bush House, the BBC headquarters, in which non-white staff was deliberately restricted to junior posts.
She claimed that being passed over for promotion between 1994 and 1999 led to stress and depression.
Sandhu, a mother of three, said while long liquid lunches were the order of the day for the ruling clique, demanding 11-hour shifts for working mothers made their life intolerable.
The BBC said it did not accept that her career was affected by gender or race discrimination.
"The BBC has shown Sharan exceptional goodwill. We do not recognise the colonial mentality she described. We gave Sharan extensive opportunities to develop her career," a spokesman said.
"After a prolonged period of sickness, the BBC gave Sharan every help to return to work designing a special shift for her and exempting her from night working."
He said the BBC 'stands by its selection procedures, both successful and unsuccessful, that Sharan went through and believes that the procedures are demonstrably fair'.
"The BBC accepts with sadness that relations with Sharan have effectively broken down. We wish her success in the future," he said.
PTI
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