Srinagar, March 7 -- In a significant ruling clarifying the law governing compassionate appointments, the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has held that applications for such appointments must strictly comply with the statutory time-limits prescribed under the rules, and cannot be entertained after prolonged delays.

The court ruled that compassionate appointment is meant to provide immediate relief to a deceased employee's family, and cannot be claimed as a matter of right years later.

A Division Bench comprising Justice Shahzad Azeem and Justice Sindhu Sharma while allowing a Letters Patent Appeal (LPA) filed by the Jammu and Kashmir government and setting aside a single judge's order that had directed authorities to appoint a ...