A view of the High Court of Karnataka building.
The State government should take proactive steps to assist the family members of a deceased employee to file an application for appointment to government services on compassionate grounds, particularly when the application is filed by a widow or an illiterate family member, the High Court of Karnataka has said.
A Division Bench, comprising Justice Mohammad Nawaz and Justice K.S. Hemalekha, passed the order while issuing guidelines to the government on how to handle applications for compassionate appointments.
The Bench issued the directions on noticing that the Revenue Department had failed to either respond or act on an application filed by the widow of a government employee seeking compassionate appointment for one of her sons, and later had rejected an application filed by one of the sons, Mahaboob Patel of Kalaburagi, on the ground of delay in applying.
While directing the government to frame a uniform standard operating procedure (SOP) for all the departments on handling the applications for compassionate appointments, the Bench said officials should be trained to ensure that there are no procedural lapses in processing the applications for compassionate appointments.
“Compassionate appointment matters being a welfare measure designed to provide immediate financial relief to bereaved families, the State bears a high duty of procedural fairness. When a timely application is made, especially by an illiterate or a widow, the authorities must act strictly, transparently, and assistively. Failure to do so can deny the rightful dependents their opportunity,” the Bench observed.
30-day deadline
Every application for a compassionate appointment, whether in the prescribed format or not, must be acknowledged in writing by the authorities concerned within 30 days, the Bench said.
The acknowledgement, the Bench said, should contain clear communication about the status of the application (incomplete or complete), any defects in format/documentation, the rights of other dependents to apply, and the applicable limitation period.
In cases where the applicant is a widow, illiterate or otherwise, the department concerned must take proactive steps to assist them in filing the application in the proper format and guide them regarding the steps to be followed by the other dependents to apply, the Bench made it clear.
The Bench also directed that all the applications must be decided within a maximum period of 90 days from the date of receipt of the application, and if the application is found not maintainable, a reasoned order must be communicated to the applicant immediately.
Published – July 30, 2025 09:15 pm IST
