The Supreme Court has ruled that married daughters must be treated as part of the family for compassionate appointments. The court said excluding married daughters from the definition of “family” is unfair, arbitrary, and against the Constitution.

A bench of Justices P. S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe set aside an order of the Allahabad High Court, which had denied a married woman’s claim for compassionate appointment.

Compassionate appointment is a scheme under which a government job is given to a family member when an employee dies while in service or retires early due to medical reasons.

The case involved a married daughter of a deceased fair price shop dealer. The Supreme Court held that her marital status cannot be a reason to deny her consideration for appointment, emphasizing that married daughters have equal rights and cannot be excluded from family benefits solely because they are married.