V. SIVAMURTHY vs STATE OF A.P. .

The Supreme Court held that the Andhra Pradesh High Court's ruling, which restricted compassionate appointments to cases of death of government servants in harness and deemed appointments based on medical invalidation unconstitutional under Article 16, was incorrect. The Court emphasized that compassionate appointments are permissible under certain conditions, including medical invalidation, and that the five-year requirement should not penalize applicants for delays in processing. The Court overturned the High Court's decision, affirming the validity of the compassionate appointment scheme for medical invalidation cases.