REPORTABLE
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION
Civil Appeal No. 7752 of 2021
(Arising out of Special Leave Petition (C) No.1564 of 2021)
THE SECRETARY TO GOVT. DEPARTMENT
OF EDUCATION (PRIMARY) & ORS.
... Appellant (s)
Versus
BHEEMESH ALIAS BHEEMAPPA
... Respondent(s)
JUDGMENT
V. Ramasubramanian, J.
1.
Leave granted.
2. Aggrieved by the order passed by Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal which was also confirmed by the High Court, directing them to consider the case of the respondent for appointment on compassionate grounds, the State has come up with the above appeal.
3. We have heard Sh. V. N. Raghupathy, learned counsel appearing for the appellants and Sh. Jayanth Muthraj, learned senior counsel appearing for the respondent.
4. Admittedly, the respondent’s sister who was employed as Assistant Teacher in a Government School, died in harness on 8.12.2010, leaving behind her surviving, her mother, two brothers and two sisters. Claiming that the deceased was unmarried and that the mother, two brothers and two sisters were entirely dependent on her income, the respondent sought appointment on compassionate grounds. The claim was rejected by the competent authority by an Order dated 17/21.11.2012, on the ground that the amendment made to the Karnataka Civil Services (Appointment on Compassionate Grounds) (7th amendment) Rules, 2012 on 20.06.2012, extending the benefit of compassionate appointment to the unmarried dependant brother of an unmarried female employee, will not be applicable to the case of the respondent.
5. Aggrieved by the said order of rejection, the respondent moved the Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal by way of an application in Application No.9099 of 2014. The said application was allowed by the Tribunal by an Order dated 10.11.2017, on the ground that the amendment made to the Rules on 20.06.2012 would apply retrospectively covering the case of the respondent, though his sister died in harness on 8.12.2010.
6. Challenging the Order of the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal, the State filed a writ petition before the High Court of Karnataka, Dharwad Bench. The writ petition was dismissed by the High Court by an Order dated 20.11.2019, on the basis of the decision of another Division Bench of the Court, which held that the amendment to the Rules was retrospective in nature. It is against the said Order that the State has come up with above appeal.
7. As held by this Court repeatedly, every appointment to a post or service must be made strictly by adhering to the mandate of Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution. Appointment on compassionate grounds, is an exception to the regular mode of recruitment, as it is intended to provide succor to the family of the deceased Government servant, which is thrown out of gear both financially and otherwise, due to the sudden death of the Government servant in harness.
8. Admittedly, the appointment on compassionate grounds in the State of Karnataka is governed by a set of Rules known as Karnataka Civil Services (Appointment on Compassionate grounds) Rules, 1996, issued in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 3(1) read with Section 8 of the Karnataka State Civil Services Act, 1978. The Rules as they stood, on the date on which the sister of the respondent died in harness, did not include an unmarried brother, within the definition of the expression “dependant of a deceased Government servant” under Rule 2(1)(a) of the said Rules visavis a deceased female unmarried Government servant. But it was only by way of an amendment proposed under a draft Notification dated 20.06.2012 which was given effect under the final Notification bearing No. DPAR 55 SCA 2012, Bangalore dated 11.07.2012 that an unmarried brother of a deceased female unmarried Government servant was included within the definition. There is no dispute about the fact that the sister of the respondent died as an unmarried female Government servant, but on 8.12.2010, before the amendment was made to the Rules.
9. To hold that the amendment will have retrospective application, the High Court as well as the Tribunal relied upon a Judgment of the Division Bench of the High Court of Karnataka in State of Karnataka vs. Akkamahadevamma and others, decided on 18.11.2010 in Writ Petition Nos.20914 of 2010 etc. But it should be pointed out at the outset that the Judgment of the High Court in Akkamahadevamma arose out of an amendment to the Karnataka Civil Services (General Recruitment) (57th Amendment) Rules, 2000. By the Amendment made on 30.03.2010 to the said Rules, grandson, unmarried granddaughter, daughter in law, widowed daughter and widowed granddaughter were included within the definition of the expression “members of the family” under Explanation2 of Rule 9. But the amendment so made on 30.03.2010 expanding the definition of the expression “members of the family” was triggered by an Order of the Tribunal which held the unamended rule to be unconstitutional. It is in that context that the amendment made on 30.03.2010 to the Rules issued on 23.11.2000 was held by the High Court to be retrospective in nature. It must also be remembered that the expanded definition was with respect to project displaced persons. The right conferred upon a project displaced person stands on a different footing from the entitlement of a person to seek appointment on compassionate grounds. In any case an amendment brought forth, on the basis of a Judgment of a Court or Tribunal, holding the exclusion of certain categories of persons to be violative of Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution, may receive an interpretation such as the one proposed by the High Court in Akkamahadevamma. But the same may not be applicable to amendments of the nature that we are concerned with in this case.
10. Incidentally we must point out that the High Court may not be correct in holding in Akkamahadevamma that the insertion of additional words in an existing provision would make those additions part of the original provision with effect from the date on which the original provision came into force. The rules of interpretation relating to ‘substitution’ are not to be applied to the case of ‘insertion of additional words’.
11. Be that as it may, Sh. Jayanth Muthraj, learned senior counsel appearing for the respondent pleaded that there are two lines of Judgments of this Court, one taking the view that the Rules/Scheme in force on the date of death of the Government servant would govern the field and the other holding that the Rules/scheme in force on the date of consideration of the claim would govern the field. Unable to reconcile this conflict, a two Member Bench of this Court, by its Order dated 08.02.2019 in State Bank of India vs. Sheo Shankar Tewari1, has referred the matter for consideration by a larger Bench. Sh. Jayanth Muthraj, learned senior counsel therefore made a request that the present appeal may either be placed along with the reference or await a decision on the above reference.
12. But we do not consider it necessary to do so. It is no doubt true that there are, as contended by the learned senior Counsel for the respondent, two lines of decisions rendered by Benches of equal strength. But the apparent conflict between those two lines of decisions, was on account of the difference between an amendment by which an
1
(2019) 5 SCC 600
existing benefit was withdrawn or diluted and an amendment by which the existing benefit was enhanced. The interpretation adopted by this Court varied depending upon the nature of the amendment. This can be seen by presenting the decisions referred to by the learned senior counsel for the respondent in a tabular column as follows:
Citation
Scheme in force
on the date of
death of the
Government
servant
Modified
Scheme which
came into force
after death
Decision of this
Court
State Bank
of India vs.
Jaspal Kaur
(2007) 9 SCC
571
[a
two
member
Bench]
The Scheme of the
year 1996, which
made the financial
condition of the
family as the main
criterion, was in
force, on the date of
death
of
the
employee in the year
1999.
The 1996 Scheme
was subsequently
modified by policy
issued in 2005,
which laid down
few parameters
for determining
penury. One of
the parameters
was to see if the
income of the
family had been
reduced to less
than 60% of the
salary drawn by
the employee at
the time of death.
Therefore,
the
wife
of
the
deceased
Rejecting
the
claim of the wife
of the deceased
employee,
this
Court held that
the application of
the
dependant
made in the year
2000, after the
death
of
the
employee in the
year 1999, cannot
be decided on the
basis of a Scheme
which came into
force in the year
2005.
employee claimed the consideration of the application on the basis of parameters laid down in the policy of the year 2005. State Bank of India Vs. Raj Kumar (2010) 11 SCC 661 [a two member Bench]
The employee died
on 1.10.2004 and
the applications for
compassionate
appointment were
made on 6.06.2005
and 14.06.2005. On
the date of death
and on the date of
the applications, a
Scheme known as
compassionate
appointment Scheme
was in force.
But with effect
from 04.08.2005
a new Scheme for
payment of ex
gratia lumpsum
was introduced in
the place of the
old Scheme. The
new
Scheme
contained
a
provision to the
effect that all
applications
pending
under
the old Scheme
will be dealt with
only
in
accordance with
the new Scheme.
This Court held
that
the
application could
be
considered
only under the
new Scheme, as it
contained
a
specific provision
relating
to
pending
applications.
MGB Gramin
Bank
vs.
Chakrawarti
Singh
(2014) 13 SCC
583
[a
two
member
Bench]
The employee died
on 19.04.2006 and
the application for
appointment made
on 12.05.2006. A
scheme
for
appointment
on
compassionate
grounds was in force
on that date.
However, a new
Scheme
dated
12.06.2006 came
into force on
6.10.2006,
providing only for
ex gratia payment
instead
of
compassionate
appointment.
This Court took
the view that the
new Scheme alone
would apply as it
contained
a
specific provision
which mandated
all
pending
applications to be
considered under
the new Scheme.
Canara
Bank vs. M.
Mahesh
Kumar
(2015) 7 SCC
412
[a
two
member
Bench]
The employee died
on 10.10.1998 and
the application for
appointment
on
compassionate
grounds, was made
under the Scheme of
the year 1993. It was
rejected
on
30.06.1999.
The
1993 Scheme was
known as “Dying in
Harness Scheme.”
The 1993 Scheme
was substituted
by a Scheme for
payment of ex
gratia in the year
2005. But by the
time the 2005
Scheme
was
issued,
the
claimant
had
already
approached the
High Court of
Kerala by way of
writ petition and
succeeded before
the learned Single
Judge vide a
Judgment dated
30.05.2003. The
Judgment
was
upheld by the
Division Bench in
the year 2006 and
the matter landed
up before this
Court thereafter.
In other words,
the Scheme of the
year 2005 came
into force: (i) after
the rejection of
the application for
compassionate
appointment
under the old
scheme; and (ii)
This
Court
dismissed
the
appeals filed by
the Bank on
account of two
important
distinguishing
features, namely,
(i)
that
the
application
for
appointment on
compassionate
grounds
was
rejected in the
year 1999 and the
rejection
order
was set aside by
the High Court in
the year 2003
much before the
compassionate
appointment
Scheme
was
substituted by an
ex gratia Scheme
in year 2005; and
(ii) that in the
year 2014, the
original scheme
for appointment
on compassionate
grounds
stood
revived, when the
civil appeals were
decided.
after the order of rejection was set aside by the Single Judge of the High Court Indian Bank vs. Promila and Another (2020) 2 SCC 729 [a two member Bench]
The employee died
on 15.01.2004 and
the application for
appointment
was
made by his minor
son on 24.01.2004.
On these dates, a
circular
bearing
No.56/79
dated
4.04.1979
which
contained a Scheme
for appointment on
compassionate
grounds was in
force.
But the
Scheme provided for
appointment, only
for those who do not
opt for payment of
gratuity for the full
term of service of
employee who died
in harness.
A new Scheme
was brought into
force
on
24.07.2004 after
the death of the
employee. Under
this Scheme an ex
gratia
compensation
was provided for,
subject to certain
conditions. After
the coming into
force of the new
Scheme,
the
claimant
was
directed by the
bank to submit a
fresh application
under the new
Scheme.
The
claimant did not
apply under the
new Scheme, as
he was interested
only
in
compassionate
appointment and
not
monetary
benefit.
In the light of the
decision
in
Canara Bank vs.
M.
Mahesh
Kumar,
this
Court held that
the case of the
claimant cannot
be examined in
the context of the
subsequent
Scheme and that
since the family
had taken full
gratuity under the
old scheme, they
were not entitled
to
seek
compassionate
appointment even
under the old
Scheme.
N.C. Santosh
vs. State of
Under the existing
Scheme referable to
But by virtue of
an amendment to
After taking note
of a reference
Karnataka
and Others
(2020) 7 SCC
617
(a
three
Member
Bench)
Rule 5 of the
Karnataka
Civil
Services
(Appointment
on
Compassionate
Grounds)
Rules,
1999,
a
minor
dependant of a
deceased
Government
employee may apply
within one year from
the date of attaining
majority.
the proviso to
Rule 5, a minor
dependant should
apply within one
year from the date
of death of the
Government
servant and must
have attained the
age of 18 years on
the
date
of
making
the
application.
Applying
the
amended
provisions,
the
appointment of
persons already
made
on
compassionate
grounds,
were
cancelled by the
appointing
authority which
led
to
the
challenge before
this Court.
made in
State
Bank of India
vs.
Sheo
Shankar Tewari
to a larger bench,
a three member
Bench of this
Court held in N.C.
Santosh that the
norms prevailing
on the date of
consideration of
the
application
should be the
basis
for
consideration of
the claim for
compassionate
appointment. The
Bench
further
held that the
dependant of a
government
employee, in the
absence of any
vested
right
accruing on the
date of death of
the government
employee,
can
only
demand
consideration of
his
application
and hence he is
disentitled to seek
the application of
the
norms
prevailing on the
date of death of
the government
servant.
13. Apart from the aforesaid decisions, our attention was also drawn to the decision of the three member Bench in State of Madhya Pradesh vs. Amit Shrivas2. But that case arose out of a claim made by the dependant of a deceased Government servant, who was originally appointed on a work charged establishment and who later claimed to have become a permanent employee. The Court went into the distinction between an employee with a permanent status and an employee with a regular status. Despite the claim of the dependant that his father had become a permanent employee, this Court held in that case that as per the policy prevailing on the date of death, a work charged/contingency fund employee was not entitled to compassionate appointment. While holding so, the Bench reiterated the opinion in Indian Bank vs. Promila.
14. The aforesaid decision in Amit Shrivas (supra) was followed by a
2
(2020) 10 SCC 496
two member Bench of this Court in the yet to be reported decision in the State of Madhya Pradesh vs. Ashish Awasthi decided on 18.11.2021.
15. Let us now come to the reference pending before the larger Bench. In State Bank of India vs. Sheo Shankar Tewari (supra), a two member Bench of this Court noted the apparent conflict between State Bank of India vs. Raj Kumar and MGB Gramin Bank on the one hand and Canara Bank vs. M. Mahesh Kumar on the other hand and referred the matter for the consideration of a larger Bench. The order of reference to a larger Bench was actually dated 8.02.2019.
16. It was only after the aforesaid reference to a larger Bench that this Court decided at least four cases, respectively in (i) Indian Bank vs. Promila; (ii) N.C. Santhosh vs. State of Karnataka; (iii) State of Madhya Pradesh vs. Amit Shrivas; and (iv) State of Madhya Pradesh vs. Ashish Awasthi. Out of these four decisions, N.C. Santosh (supra) was by a three member Bench, which actually took note of the reference pending before the larger Bench.
17. Keeping the above in mind, if we critically analyse the way in which this Court has proceeded to interpret the applicability of a new or modified Scheme that comes into force after the death of the employee, we may notice an interesting feature. In cases where the benefit under the existing Scheme was taken away or substituted with a lesser benefit, this Court directed the application of the new Scheme. But in cases where the benefits under an existing Scheme were enlarged by a modified Scheme after the death of the employee, this Court applied only the Scheme that was in force on the date of death of the employee. This is fundamentally due to the fact that compassionate appointment was always considered to be an exception to the normal method of recruitment and perhaps looked down upon with lesser compassion for the individual and greater concern for the rule of law.
18. If compassionate appointment is one of the conditions of service and is made automatic upon the death of an employee in harness without any kind of scrutiny whatsoever, the same would be treated as a vested right in law. But it is not so. Appointment on compassionate grounds is not automatic, but subject to strict scrutiny of various parameters including the financial position of the family, the economic dependence of the family upon the deceased employee and the avocation of the other members of the family. Therefore, no one can claim to have a vested right for appointment on compassionate grounds. This is why some of the decisions which we have tabulated above appear to have interpreted the applicability of revised Schemes differently, leading to conflict of opinion. Though there is a conflict as to whether the Scheme in force on the date of death of the employee would apply or the Scheme in force on the date of consideration of the application of appointment on compassionate grounds would apply, there is certainly no conflict about the underlying concern reflected in the above decisions. Wherever the modified Schemes diluted the existing benefits, this Court applied those benefits, but wherever the modified Scheme granted larger benefits, the old Scheme was made applicable.
19. The important aspect about the conflict of opinion is that it revolves around two dates, namely, (i) date of death of the employee; and (ii) date of consideration of the application of the dependant. Out of these two dates, only one, namely, the date of death alone is a fixed factor that does not change. The next date namely the date of consideration of the claim, is something that depends upon many variables such as the date of filing of application, the date of attaining of majority of the claimant and the date on which the file is put up to the competent authority. There is no principle of statutory interpretation which permits a decision on the applicability of a rule, to be based upon an indeterminate or variable factor. Let us take for instance a hypothetical case where 2 Government servants die in harness on January 01, 2020. Let us assume that the dependants of these 2 deceased Government servants make applications for appointment on 2 different dates say 29.05.2020 and 02.06.2020 and a modified Scheme comes into force on June 01, 2020. If the date of consideration of the claim is taken to be the criteria for determining whether the modified Scheme applies or not, it will lead to two different results, one in respect of the person who made the application before June 1, 2020 and another in respect of the person who applied after June 01, 2020. In other words, if two employees die on the same date and the dependants of those employees apply on two different dates, one before the modified Scheme comes into force and another thereafter, they will come in for differential treatment if the date of application and the date of consideration of the same are taken to be the deciding factor. A rule of interpretation which produces different results, depending upon what the individuals do or do not do, is inconceivable. This is why, the managements of a few banks, in the cases tabulated above, have introduced a rule in the modified scheme itself, which provides for all pending applications to be decided under the new/modified scheme. Therefore, we are of the considered view that the interpretation as to the applicability of a modified Scheme should depend only upon a determinate and fixed criteria such as the date of death and not an indeterminate and variable factor.
20. Coming to the case on hand, the employee died on 8.12.2010 and the amendment to the Rules was proposed by way of a draft notification on 20.06.2012. The final notification was issued on 11.07.2012. Merely because the application for appointment was taken up for consideration after the issue of the amendment, the respondent could not have sought the benefit of the amendment. The Judgment of the Division Bench of the Karnataka High Court in Akkamahadevamma on which the Tribunal as well as the High Court placed reliance, was not applicable to the case of compassionate appointments, as the amendment in Akkamahadevamma came as a result of the existing rule being declared to be ultra vires Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution.
21. In view of the above, the appeal is allowed and the impugned order of the High Court as well as that of the Tribunal are set aside. The application of the respondent for compassionate appointment shall stand dismissed. There shall be no order as to costs.
…..…………....................J.
(Hemant Gupta)
.…..………......................J (V. Ramasubramanian)
DECEMBER 16, 2021
NEW DELHI.