Key Highlights
- Plea for compassionate appointment dismissed due to delay and laches.
- Court imposed Rs. 1,00,000 costs on SBI for not acting on representation filed in 2020.
- Compassionate appointment is an exception to public recruitment and requires urgent financial need.
- Petitioner completed graduation in 2021 and did not pursue higher studies; Court inferred lack of financial crisis.
- Relied on Canara Bank v. Ajithkumar G.K. (2025): such appointments are not a vested right.
The Allahabad High Court dismissed a plea filed by Prinsu Singh seeking compassionate appointment after the death of his father, an SBI employee. While rejecting the petition due to delay and laches, the Court strongly criticized SBI for not deciding a representation filed in January 2020 and imposed a penalty of Rs. 1,00,000, payable to the petitioner within two months.
Case Snapshot
| Case Title | Prinsu Singh vs. Union of India & Others |
| Court & Bench | Allahabad High Court, Justice Ajay Bhanot |
| Judgment Date | September 25, 2025 |
| Outcome | Petition dismissed; Rs. 1,00,000 costs imposed on SBI |
Background & Timeline
- 2006: Petitioner’s father dismissed from service by SBI.
- 2015: Labour Court sets aside dismissal and orders reinstatement with back wages.
- 2016: High Court stays Labour Court award; case still pending.
- Dec 2019: Employee passes away while still in service.
- Jan 2020: Petitioner’s mother applies for compassionate appointment.
- Apr 2025: Reminder sent; SBI fails to respond.
Court’s Findings
The Court held that compassionate appointments are meant to provide immediate financial relief to families of deceased employees and cannot be claimed as a vested right. Delays indicate that the family is no longer in acute financial distress.
- Delay: Petitioner completed graduation in 2021 and did not pursue further studies, suggesting no urgent financial hardship.
- No vested right: Relied on Supreme Court ruling in Canara Bank v. Ajithkumar G.K. (2025).
- SBI’s fault: Despite timely representation in 2020, SBI failed to act for over 5 years.
“Compassionate appointments are an exception to the constitutional mandate of public recruitment and can only be justified on urgent financial need. Delay raises a presumption that the crisis has ceased to exist.”
— Justice Ajay Bhanot, Allahabad High Court
Final Directions
- Petition dismissed due to delay and laches.
- SBI directed to pay Rs. 1,00,000 to petitioner within 2 months.
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