IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA CWJC No.2331 of 2008 MAYA NAND JHA, S/O LATE SHYAMA NAND JHA, R/O VILLAGE-MADHEPUR, P.S. MADHEPUR, DISTRICT-MADHUBANI. ………………………PETITIONER. Versus 1.THE STATE OF BIHAR. 2.SECRETARY PERSONNEL AND ADMINISTRATIVE DEPARTMENT, OLD SECRETARIATE, PATNA. 3.DISTRICT MAGISTRATE, MADHUBANI. 4.DEPUTY COLLECTOR, ESTABLISHMENT, MADHUBANI. 5.B.D.O., MADHEPUR, MADHUBANI. …………………………RESPONDENTS. ----------- 02/ 19.04.2011 Heard counsel for the parties. Counsel for the petitioner while assailing the impugned order dated 25.07.2006, refusing to appoint the petitioner on the ground that there was no provision for appointment on compassionate ground in respect of a Government servant, who was missing for the last seven years and would be deemed to have died in terms of Section-108 of the Evidence Act has submitted that such decision in impugned order is contrary not only to the very scheme of compassionate appointment but also in the light of the law laid down by this Court in the case of Md. Noor Alam Vs. State of Bihar & Ors. reported in 2007(4)PLJR 200, following the ratio of a Division Bench judgment in the case of Rajiv Kumar vs The 2 State of Bihar and Ors, reported in 2004(1)PLJR 36. In this context, he would also rely on the revised circular of the Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department dated 31.10.2008( Annexure-7) which has been issued only for this type of category of Government servants, who have reportedly met presumptive death on account of their remaining missing and unheard for a period of seven years. In the considered opinion of this Court the counsel for the petitioner seems to be correct as would be also apparent from the relevant part of the said revised policy contained in aforesaid Government Circular dated 31.10.2008 which reads as follows:- ^^3- vr% ekuuh; iVuk mPp U;k;ky; ds mDr vkns'k esa fn;s x;s lq>koks rFkk Hkkjr ljdkj ds mDr dk;kZy; Kkiu esa fufgr izko/kku ds vkyksd esa] jkT; ljdkj }kjk lE;d:is.k fopkjksijkar fuEukafdr fu.kZ; fy;s x;s gS& ¼1½ ;fn dksbZ ljdkjh lsod vfookfgr gks vkSj mlds ekrk firk ,oa HkkbZ&cgu mlh ij vkfJr gksa rFkk lsokdky esa ,sls ljdkjh lsod dh e`R;q gks tk; rks oSlh ifjfLFkfr esa mldh fo/kok eka] NksVk HkkbZ ,oa vfookfgr NksVh cgu dks vuqdEik ds vk/kkj ij fu;qfDr gsrq vkfJr ekuk tk,xkA ¼2½ ykirk ljdkjh lsodksa ds ekeys esa Hkh] fuEukafdr 'krksZa ds v/khu] vuqdEik ds vk/kkj ij fu;qfDr gsrq fopkj ds ykHk dh vuqekU;rk gksxh%& ¼d½ ljdkjh lsod ds ykirk gksus dh frfFk ls nks o"kksZa ds chr tkus ds ckn vuqdEik fu;qfDr gsrq vuqjks/k ij fopkj gks ldrk gS] c'krsZ fd%& ¼i½ iqfyl Fkkuk es bl laca/k esa ,d izkFkfedh ntZ 3 fd;k x;k gks ¼ii½ ykirk O;fDr dk irk py ikuk dfBu gks] vkSj ¼iii½ l{ke izkf/kdkj ;g eglwl djsa fd ekeyk lR; gSA ¼[k½ ;g ykHk ,sls ljdkjh lsodksa ds ekeys esa vuqekU; ugha gksxk%& ¼i½ ftls ykirk gksus dh frfFk ls nks o"kksZ ds vanj lsokfuo`r gksuk gS ;k ¼ii½ ftl ij /kks[kk/kM+h djus dk lansg gks] ;k fdlh vkradoknh laxBu esa 'kkfey gksus dk lansg gks] ;k fons'k pys tkus dk lansg gksA ¼x½ vU; ds ekeyksa dh rjg ykirk ljdkjh lsods ds ekeys esa Hkh vuqdEik fu;qfDr vf/kdkj dk ekeyk ugha gksxh vkSj ;g fjfDr;ksa dh miyC/krk lfgr] ,slh fu;qfDr ds fy, fu/kkZfjr lHkh 'krksZa ds iwjk gkasus ij gh gks ldsxhA ¼?k½ ,sls vuqjks/k ij fopkj djrs le; iqfyl vuqla/kku ds ifj.kkeksa dks Hkh /;ku esa j[kk tk;sxkA ¼3½ ykirk ljdkjh lsod ds vkfJr dks vuqdEik ds vk/kkj ij fu;qDr dj fy;s tkus ds ckn ykirk ljdkjh lsod ds iqu% izdV gks tkus ij vuqdEik ds vk/kkj ij fu;qDr muds vkfJr dh lsok Lor% lekIr le>h tk;sxhA ijUrq ,sls vkfJr ls] muds }kjk dRrZO; dh vof/k ds fy, Hkqxrku dh xbZ jkf'k dh olwyh ugha dh tk;sxhA ykirk ljdkjh lsod ds izdV gksus ,oa ;ksxnku nsus ij l{ke izkf/kdkj }kjk mudk ;ksxnku Lohdkj djrs gq, mUgsa fuyafcr dj muds fo:n~/k fcgkj lsok lafgrk ds fu;e 76 ds vkyksd esa vuf/kd`r vuqifLFkfr ds fy, fu;ekuqlj foHkkxh; dk;Zokgh pykdj leqfpr dkjZokbZ dh tk;sxhA 4- bl foHkkx ds Kkikad&13293 fnukad 05-10-91 dh dafMdk&¼1½ ¼x½ ,oa ¼?k½ mi;qZDr gn rd la'kksf/kr le>h tk;sxh] vkSj Kkikad 281 fnukad 01-02-2006 ,oa i=kad 4265 fnukad 04-12-07 rn~uqlkj vodzfer le>s tk;saxsA** It would therefore, now become clear that the Government has realized the mistake committed in the earlier circulars and decisions dated 5.10.1991, 1.2.2006 and 4.12.2007 and has reconsidered the whole issue afresh for examining such cases in the 4 light of the revised policy as per the aforesaid circular dated 31.10.2008. Consequently the impugned order dated 25.07.2006, based on the earlier Government instructions which has itself been superceded by the Government circular dated 31.10.2008 has to be also held to be bad in law and accordingly the impugned order contained in Annexure-3 is hereby quashed. Since, the case of the petitioner would require reconsideration in the light of the latest policy of the Government as contained in 31.10.2008, this Court would direct the competent authority including the District Compassionate Appointment Committee of Madhubani district to take an early decision as with regard to appointment of the petitioner on compassionate ground and, if, it is found that the petitioner otherwise fulfils all other requisite conditions as per the Government policy dated 05.10.1991 read with revised policy dated 31.10.2008, an appropriate decision in this regard be taken at the earliest, preferably within a period of four months 5 from the date of receipt/production of a copy of this order. Let it be made clear, that this Court has not expressed any opinion on the merits of the claim of the petitioner and it has set aside the impugned order on finding that the reason on which the case of appointment of the petitioner on compassionate ground was rejected was wholly unsustainable either in fact or in law and therefore, on remand of the matter, the competent authority would be at liberty to take any appropriate decision by considering the case of the petitioner on merits strictly in accordance with law. With the aforementioned observations and direction, this writ application to the extent indicated above is allowed. Ranjan (Mihir Kumar Jha,J)