Govt policy on jobs for kin of deceased unfair: HC

Ahmedabad: Expecting every Dalit widow in rural areas to have passed the SSC exam for obtaining a job on compassionate ground is “not only unjust but also unrealistic”, observed the HC.

The court has termed the government resolution “defective”, which makes it mandatory for kin of the deceased employee to pass the SSC exam for obtaining a class IV job. The observation came in a case where a widow belonging to the schedule caste was denied a job on compassionate ground in the police department after her husband died in 2008.



Manabhai Barod died in June 2008 while he was serving as constable at Palanpur. His widow Kasuben sought a job with the police department, but her claim was rejected by the state government citing a circular passed in 2007, according to which a person seeking a job on compassionate ground need to clear the SSC exam.
Justice RR Tripathi observed that denying appointment on the ground of lack of educational qualification to the widow of a government employee belonging to the SC is not fair. He said that the circular should have a special provision in such cases, because it frustrates the purpose of policy to grant appointment on compassionate ground. The HC asked the Palanpur DSP to finalise Kasuben’s appointment within a month’s time.