Married daughters seeking compassionate appointment must establish dependency on the deceased government servant.

The petitioner, a married daughter of a Commercial Tax Officer who died in service on 5 May 2021, sought compassionate appointment after her father relinquished his claim.

The Department rejected her application on the ground that she was not dependent on her mother at the time of her death, including because she was living with her husband.

The petitioner challenged the rejection endorsements before the Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal, which dismissed her application on 10 March 2025. She then challenged the Tribunal’s order and the endorsements before the High Court.

Under Rule 3 of the Karnataka Civil Services (Appointment on Compassionate Grounds) Rules, 1996, compassionate appointment is not claimable as a matter of right or granted as a matter of course.

Rule 4 requires the claimant to establish dependency and financial crisis or destitution, including that income from all sources does not exceed the prescribed limit.

The 2021 amendment permits married daughters to claim compassionate appointment, but they must still establish dependency on the deceased government servant.

The Court accepted that a married daughter may seek compassionate appointment under the amended Rules, but held that the amendment did not dispense with the requirement to prove dependency.

Although the petitioner asserted that she had lived with and cared for her mother, she produced no cogent material establishing that assertion.

The residential certificate and police verification filed by the State before the Tribunal indicated that, after marriage, she lived with her husband at a different place.

The Court therefore found no basis to disturb the authorities’ assessment or the Tribunal’s decision.

It dismissed the writ petition.