The Karnataka High Court has ruled that rigid adherence to age limits cannot defeat the purpose of compassionate appointments, which are meant to provide immediate relief to families of deceased employees. The judgment came in a case where a widow challenged the rejection of her application for a job under the compassionate grounds scheme by the Northwestern Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (NWKSRTC) because she had crossed the upper age limit of 43 years.
The petitioner’s husband, a driver-cum-conductor, passed away in 2023. Following his death, she applied for a job under the corporation’s compassionate appointment scheme but was denied on the grounds of being 47 years old. The High Court observed that such technical grounds should not override the humanitarian purpose of the policy, especially when the family faces financial hardship after losing its primary breadwinner.
The Court noted that compassionate appointments exist to support the dependents of employees who die in service, ensuring their financial stability and dignity. Referring to earlier rulings, including those of the Supreme Court and a coordinate bench of the High Court, it reiterated that such schemes must be interpreted liberally, keeping in mind the spirit of social welfare and fairness.
Justice M Nagaprasanna held that rejecting an application solely on the basis of age was unsustainable and directed the corporation to reconsider the widow’s plea within eight weeks. The Court also advised public bodies to evolve more empathetic and flexible policies that prioritise human need over procedural rigidity.
The ruling reinforces that compassionate appointments are not acts of charity but instruments of social justice, ensuring that bureaucratic technicalities do not stand in the way of relief for families in distress.
