12/02/2026
The Orissa High Court (Odisha High Court) delivered a notable judgment on the rights of daughters (even after marriage) to claim a government job on compassionate grounds following the death of their father.
📌 Key Points of the Judgment
The Orissa High Court held that a daughter does not cease to be a daughter after marriage merely because she got married, and her right to claim a job on compassionate grounds cannot be denied on that basis alone.
This case arose from a long-pending claim by a woman whose father, a government employee, died in service in 1999. She applied for a compassionate appointment soon after his death. However, the authorities rejected her claim years later after she married (in 2006), citing her marital status.
The state government had interpreted the Rehabilitation Assistance Rules to exclude married daughters, but the High Court struck that down as discriminatory and violative of constitutional guarantees.
🧑⚖️ Court’s Reasoning
The court emphasized that marriage does not sever the parental-child relationship, and a daughter remains part of her natal family even after marriage.
Gender equality principles under the Indian Constitution (Articles 14, 15, 16) require that marital status cannot be used to deny opportunities available to sons and daughters are similarly situated.
Compassionate appointments are intended to support dependents of deceased government employees who suffer sudden loss of livelihood. Denying a married daughter benefits solely because of marital status was termed arbitrary and discriminatory.
📝 Outcome
The High Court set aside the rejection order and directed the government to grant the compassionate appointment to the petitioner, even though many years had passed since her father’s death and her application was pending while she got married.
