Staff Reporter
MADURAI: The officials are expected to act as good Samaritans overlooking the cobwebs of technicalities while considering requests made by the family members of deceased employees for compassionate appointments, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has said.
A Division Bench comprising Justice P.D. Dinakaran and Justice P.R. Shivakumar made the observation while dismissing a writ appeal filed by the Superintending Engineer, Madurai Electricity Distribution Circle.
The appellant was aggrieved against a single judge’s order to appoint a widow who was denied employment even after obtaining the minimum qualification of VIII standard through private studies at the age of 32.
Her husband, a helper with the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, died while in service in 1999. The officials had denied her compassionate appointment because she had passed only V standard. Subsequently, she completed her VIII standard in 2004 and applied again. This time, her plea was rejected for not making the application within three years from the time of her husband’s death.
“Defeats the purpose”
Writing the judgement for the Bench, Mr. Justice Dinakaran said: “The concept of compassionate employment is intended to alleviate the distress of the family (of the deceased) and it is for that purpose appointments are permissible and provided even in the rules and regulations. Hence, any rigid approach or too technical objections may defeat the very objective of the same.”
The Bench directed the appellant to consider the case of the widow for compassionate appointment in a suitable post within four weeks.
