A US district court has ruled that Cognizant Technology Solutions discriminated against employees who are not Indian. This decision came from a class-action lawsuit filed nearly ten years ago by employees who claimed they were treated unfairly based on their race and nationality.
The lawsuit accused Cognizant of favoring South Asian and Indian workers over others. Some non-Indian employees said they were fired after being put “on the bench,” which means they had no project to work on but were still paid while waiting for a new assignment.
The court found that Cognizant intentionally discriminated against these non-South Asian and non-Indian employees, especially when it came to layoffs. Because of this behavior, the court decided to award damages to those affected.
The lawsuit also claimed that Cognizant misused the H-1B visa system, which allows US companies to hire skilled foreign workers. Most of these visas go to Indian nationals.
The plaintiffs argued that Cognizant’s hiring, promotion, and firing practices negatively impacted employees who were not of Indian nationality.
The court agreed, stating that these practices were not related to job requirements and were not necessary for business.
It’s worth noting that Cognizant was the top employer for H-1B visas in the US from 2013 to 2019.
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