A lawyer who brought a race discrimination claim against the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has won promotion and seen her annual salary leap from ?27,000 to ?51,000.

Uma Bhardwaj, a prosecuting barrister for more than 17 years, was originally appointed to the lower of its two grades of Crown prosecutor. She was also told that she had to accept the lowest pay for that grade.

Ms Bhardwaj said: ?I felt? humiliated at being offered a position that would normally be offered to someone with little or no experience? [particularly since] salaries of almost double mine were offered to some white prosecutors.?

Shah Qureshi, head of employment at City firm Webster Dixon, who advised Ms Bhardwaj, said: ?The CPS granted Ms Bhardwaj a without prejudice settlement package, which included a substantial salary increase and promotion to the higher grade. The CPS made no admission of liability.?

A CPS spokeswoman said: ?The CPS has made major progress on equality and diversity in the past few years? including [winning] the Commission for Racial Equality-Law Society race equality award for best public sector employer in 2005-06.?

Jonathan Rayner