In Brief
The Supreme Court allowed an appeal by West Bengal challenging a High Court direction to consider deceased municipal employees' dependents for compassionate appointment. The Court held that no scheme governed compassionate appointment for municipal employees in West Bengal at the relevant time; only State Government employee schemes existed. Additionally, the Court found that the respondents' nearly 10-year delay in approaching the High Court after filing applications constituted undue delay (laches) that disentitled them to discretionary writ relief. Even assuming a valid scheme existed, the Court ruled that granting compassionate appointment after such prolonged delay would frustrate the policy's purpose—providing immediate financial relief during family crisis—making the relief futile and inappropriate.
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