Compassionate Appointment Under Scrutiny: Why Policy, Not Sympathy, Decides The Outcome

Introduction

Compassionate appointment refers to the grant of employment to a dependent of a deceased employee as an exception to the general rules of public recruitment. It is not conceived as a vested right, but as a welfare-oriented measure intended to alleviate the immediate financial hardship faced by a family upon the untimely death of its sole or primary breadwinner. Over the years, courts have consistently emphasised that such appointments must be strictly governed by the applicable policy framework, and cannot be claimed on equitable or sympathetic considerations alone. This principle was recently reaffirmed by the Chhattisgarh High Court in Minketan Chandra & Anr. v. South Eastern Coalfields Limited & Ors.¹, where the Court examined the limits of compassionate appointment in the context of competing service policies and the existence of an earning dependent.