BENGALURU: The Karnataka HC said that the stream of appointments on compassionate grounds cannot be permitted to flow endlessly into claims for higher posts, better cadres or superior service benefits, merely because the appointee on such grounds possesses qualifications for the higher posts. Once the object of the scheme for appointment on compassionate grounds stands fulfilled by appointment to the post contemplated thereunder, compassion cannot be invoked afresh to seek another and higher post, the court added.
A division bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna and Justice Hema Kulkarni delivered the verdict quashing the order dated March 24, 2026 passed by the Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal in a plea made by a Second Division Assistant (SDA), Sathish V Gulla from Belagavi district. Gulla’s father was working as a Bandh Peon in the office of the Assistant Director of Land Records, Belagavi. He died in harness in 2017. Pursuant to this, Gulla was appointed in the said office as a Second Division Assistant.
After seven months of his reporting to duty, he submitted a representation seeking to have his case considered for appointment to a First Division Assistant (FDA) owing to his educational qualification. This was rejected by way of endorsement by the revenue department in 2019, which was challenged before the Tribunal.
The Tribunal allowed the application and set aside the endorsement while directing the department to consider the case of Gulla for the post. In a similar case, the Tribunal ordered the revenue department to consider Sandeepkumar Vinayakarao Kulkarni from Bagalkot for the post of FDA.
Therefore, the revenue department filed the petition before the High Court challenging the Tribunal order dated March 24, 2026. Quashing the tribunal’s order, the court also cautioned the state that it must tread carefully while dealing with requests for transposition within Group-C merely on the strength of higher educational qualifications possessed by compassionate appointees.