Father denies any legal action against EY

Sibi Joseph, the father of 26-year-old Pune-based chartered accountant Anna Sebastian Perayil, who allegedly died of “work-related stress,” said on Thursday that the family does not intend to take legal action against consulting firm EY.

According to her colleagues, her death was caused by cardiac arrest. Joseph mentioned that his daughter was very active and often played badminton and jogged with him when she was at home, IANS reported.

Perayil, an employee at SR Batliboi, an EY Global member firm in Yerawada, Pune, died on July 21. Her mother claimed that Perayil's death was due to “backbreaking workload” and severe “work stress”. In response, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje has promised that a thorough investigation will be conducted.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Anna Sebastian Perayil. A thorough investigation into allegations of an unsafe and exploitative work environment is underway,” Karandlaje said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

The MoS issued the statement in response to a post by BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who described Anna's death as “very sad but also disturbing on many levels.” “I request the Government of India @mansukhmandviya @ShobhaBJP to investigate these allegations made by the mother that an unsafe and exploitative work environment claimed the life of young, promising Anna Sebastian Perayil,” Chandrasekhar wrote.

“She completed her CA in February this year and joined the company in March. We spoke to her every day and her biggest gripe was the extreme work pressure. She was involved in an audit with Bajaj Auto. Most days, she worked until 12.30 at night and was back at her paid accommodation by 1.30 am,” said Joseph.

He added, “She hardly got any sleep and also could not eat properly due to her working hours. She often complained about it and eventually we told her to quit the job. But she said she would continue working as it was a reputed company.”

Her father continued, “In July, we visited her and took her to a cardiologist. After the examination, he said that my daughter was perfectly healthy and that she was only lacking enough sleep and food. My wife wrote the letter to the CEO to ensure that this should not happen to anyone, even if our daughter is no longer here. We will also not take any legal action against the company.”

EY has denied that “work pressure” could have caused Anna's death. “We have around 100,000 employees. There is no doubt that each of them has to work hard. Anna worked with us for only four months. She was assigned work like any other employee. We do not believe that work pressure could have cost her life,” said Rajiv Memani, Chairman, EY India.

“Anna was part of the audit team at SR Batliboi, a member firm of EY Global, in Pune for a short period of four months, joining the firm on March 18, 2024. That her promising career has been cut short in this tragic manner is an irreparable loss for all of us. While nothing can compensate for the family's loss, we have provided her with all possible assistance, as we always do in such times of need, and will continue to do so,” Memani added.

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