A long delay of nearly three decades led the Madhya Pradesh High Court to dismiss a plea by a married woman seeking a job on compassionate grounds following her father's death. Justice Vivek Agarwal held that compassionate appointments are designed to provide immediate relief to families facing sudden financial crisis, not as an alternative route to public employment decades after a breadwinner passes away.
The ruling came on a petition filed by Rampyari Dhurve, who challenged a July 2020 order by Western Coalfields Limited rejecting her claim for a job after her father, Kajju, died in October 1998. While the court refused to grant relief due to the 28-year gap since the employee's death, it included a protective clause allowing the woman to seek revival of her petition if she meets one condition.
