Mr T Chauhan v Menzies Aviation (UK) Limited — 2026

The tribunal decided whether Mr Chauhan was disabled under section 6 of the Equality Act 2010 between 26 April and 1 July 2024. It found that he was disabled because of a physical back and leg impairment, but not because of anxiety and depression. The judgment did not decide liability for any alleged discriminatory act and recorded no remedy.

The tribunal accepted that Mr Chauhan was worried about the effect of his sickness absence on his employment. It found no reliable evidence that he had a mental impairment before his dismissal on 1 July 2024. His GP and talking-therapy records indicated that the anxiety and depression arose from the dismissal. Although these conditions substantially affected his day-to-day activities by August or September 2024, that effect was not present during the relevant period.

The tribunal also found that any mental-health effects present during the relevant period had not been shown to be long term. It could not use Mr Chauhan's later medical history to reason backwards. The evidence available between April and July 2024 did not show that substantial effects could well last for more than 12 months or recur.

Mr Chauhan's back and leg pain substantially affected normal day-to-day activities during the relevant period. He was unable to attend work, had difficulty getting out of bed, putting on shoes and socks, walking, and rising from a chair, and suffered disrupted sleep. The tribunal found these effects were more than minor or trivial, including after allowing for the need to disregard the benefit of pain medication and exercises.

The 2024 episode was improving and was not likely to last more than 12 months. The tribunal did not accept that Mr Chauhan had frequent flare-ups, but found that substantial effects could well recur. It relied on three episodes over 14 years, evidence of an underlying condition involving his lumbar spine, and evidence that the condition could be worsened by manual work and age. A formal diagnosis was unnecessary; the medical evidence linked the similar episodes sufficiently for the tribunal to find a physical impairment at the relevant time.