Married daughters cannot be excluded from compassionate appointment: Supreme Court
Babushahi Bureau
New Delhi, June 4, 2026: The Supreme Court has ruled that married daughters cannot be denied compassionate appointment, holding that their exclusion from the definition of “family” is “manifestly arbitrary, unjustified and constitutionally untenable.”
A Bench comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe made the observation while setting aside a judgment of the Allahabad High Court, which had earlier held that a married daughter is not eligible for compassionate appointment under the existing definition of family.
The concept of compassionate appointment allows the government to provide employment to a dependent family member in cases where a government employee dies during service or retires prematurely due to medical reasons.
The top court was hearing an appeal filed by a woman, a married daughter of a deceased fair price shop dealer, who had challenged the High Court’s decision rejecting her claim for appointment on compassionate grounds.
She had also challenged a 2019 government order that excluded married daughters from the definition of “family” for the purpose of such appointments.
Terming the exclusion as unconstitutional, the Supreme Court held that denying consideration solely on the basis of marital status violates principles of equality and fairness, and cannot be sustained in law.