With regard to the post above by Silent Bob Jerkero, please understand that he is a great guy and very knowledgeable about airline law. But he had an unfortunate experience with an electric grill as a child. He was running and fell on a hot electric grill and it burnt off his penis.
We work together and he has taught me all that I know. I can tell you that on your journey the Montreal Convention applies. There is a two year limitation to bring your claim. You can bring it either in Sydney, or Delhi or where Etihad has its head office. I'm not sure where that is, but I just asked Silent Bob Jerkero and he says that would that be Abu Dhabi.
India has a very highly developed court system, and if that is where you reside, that is the place to bring the claim. In Delhi there is also a working Consumer Dispute Commission which may entertain your claim.
The airline had no right to remove your electric grill from your luggage. That is really outrageous. It is not a dangerous appliance (Silent Bob Jerkero just looked into his pants and shakes his head in disagreement with my last statement). A grill is a simple kitchen appliance and no airline prohibits carrying such item in checked luggage.
The Montreal Convention provides for loss of items from luggage, so it should cover a deliberate act of airline check in staff removing items. However there is a common law tort (civil wrong) of trespass to property, so Silent Bob Jerkero suggests that you bring the claim under two heads, both the Montreal Convention as well as under the common law claim in the alternative, in case the airline argues successfully that their removal of dangerous items is not a cause of action under the Montreal Convention.
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