STATE OF HARYANA vs RANI DEVI

The Supreme Court ruled that the State of Haryana is not obligated to appoint the widows of deceased Apprentice Canal Patwaris on compassionate grounds, as their husbands were ad-hoc employees and not appointed against substantive vacancies. The Court referenced the Punjab Civil Services Rules, which define 'Apprentice' and clarified that the ex-gratia payment scheme does not apply to casual or ad-hoc employees. The Court upheld that appointments on compassionate grounds are exceptions to Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution, emphasizing that such appointments must be justified and cannot be made solely based on dependency.