MHC directs TN to employ daughter of deceased BT asst on compassionate grounds
The compassionate appointments are offered to any of the family members of the deceased employee just to ensure that the family should not suffer to make out a livelihood, due to the sudden demise of the breadwinner, observed Justice R N Manjula while allowing the petition.
Madras High Court
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court (MHC) has directed the State to grant suitable employment to the daughter of a deceased Bachelor of Teaching (BT) assistant on compassionate grounds and observed that the noble scheme (compassionate appointments) cannot be diluted by giving a narrow interpretation to the rules governing the scheme.
The compassionate appointments are offered to any of the family members of the deceased employee just to ensure that the family should not suffer to make out a livelihood, due to the sudden demise of the breadwinner, observed Justice R N Manjula while allowing the petition.
A petitioner M Sanitha moved the MHC seeking to quash the order passed by the Chief Educational Officer (CEO) Coimbatore in 2019 refusing employment on compassionate grounds.
According to the petitioner, her father N Mathan worked as a BT assistant in a government school Sethumadai died in 2013 while in service. Subsequently, his wife represented before the school education department to provide employment on compassionate grounds. However, she also met with an accident and became immobilized hence she is physically unable to take up the job.
Later, the petitioner, the daughter of the deceased, and her mother made a representation before the school education department to offer employment to the petitioner, however, which was refused.
The government advocate T Arunkumar appeared for the State contended that the petitioner is the married daughter of the deceased employee. So, she could not be considered for employment on compassionate grounds.
As per the comprehensive guidelines issued by the Labour and Employment department, there is no scope to provide a job to the petitioner on compassionate grounds.
After the submission, the judge observed that pedantic interpretation given to the rules will frustrate the very object of the scheme. Further, the judge directed the State to provide suitable employment to the petitioner within six weeks.
