UNION OF INDIA vs BASANTI RANI PRAMANIK

The Supreme Court held that the purpose of compassionate appointment under service rules is to address the immediate economic needs of a family following the death of the sole breadwinner. In this case, the respondent's husband died in 1987, and the respondent filed a writ petition for compassionate appointment in 1991, which was deemed too long a delay to justify such relief. The Court found that the family had been able to survive without assistance for several years, and thus, the orders of the lower courts directing the appointment were set aside, dismissing the writ petition.