In Brief
The father of Sheo Shankar Tewari died while employed with State Bank of India in 2004. Tewari applied for compassionate appointment in 2005 under the then-existing scheme. Before his application could be considered, the bank introduced a new scheme replacing compassionate appointments with ex-gratia payment. The bank rejected his application citing the new scheme. The High Court accepted his challenge. The Supreme Court found conflicting precedents: some held the new scheme governs (no vested right), others held the original scheme applies (no retrospective effect). Unable to reconcile these irreconcilable principles, the Court referred the matter to a larger bench for authoritative resolution."
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.