HC: Married daughter not barred from appointment on compassionate grounds

Prayagraj: A married daughter cannot be excluded from the benefit of appointment on compassionate grounds, a division bench of Allahabad high court observed earlier this month, overturning the decision of a single-judge bench and ordering the district basic education officer (DBEO) to decide the appellant's claim afresh, within eight weeks, after examining all relevant issues.After her father's death, Sampurnanand Pandey - an assistant teacher at Deoria's Purva Madhyamic Vidyalaya Gajhadwa - the appellant, Chanda Devi, had sought a compassionate appointment, citing that her husband was unemployed and she was financially dependent on her parents.Deoria DBEO rejected her petition in Dec 2016, pointing out that she was married and, hence, ineligible to attain compassionate appointment.Chanda challenged the order before a single-judge HC bench, which accepted her contention that she could not be excluded from the benefit. Her writ petition was, however, dismissed, taking into account that Chanda could not furnish any evidence of her husband's unemployment and her financial dependence on her parents. Allowing a special appeal, HC's division bench, in its Aug 12 order, set aside the single judge's order on May 15, 2025, and remitted the matter to Deoria DBEO.