IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA CWJC No.12695 of 2006 Amrendra Singh, son of Late Krishnadeo Singh, resident of Village- Dharampura, Police Station- Daudpur, District- Saran at Chapra …….. Petitioner Versus 1. The State of Bihar 2. Block Development Officer, Gopalganj, District- Gopalganj, Bihar, 3. District Magistrate, Gopalganj, Bihar .... Respondents ----------- 2. 15.4.2010 No one appears for the petitioner. The writ application has been filed for a direction to the respondent-authorities to appoint the petitioner on compassionate ground on the death of his father, Krishnadeo Singh while in government service on 16.5.1986. It appears from the counter affidavit that the application of the petitioner for compassionate appointment was considered by the District Compassionate Committee in its meeting held on 24.11.1992 and his application was rejected. However, the petitioner has annexed another proceedings of the Compassionate Committee held on 11.8.1993 in which it is stated that the matter is kept pending. It is evident from the facts on the record that the petitioner was a minor at the time of the death of his father and did not attain majority within a period of five years of 2 the said death and thus, in no case he would be eligible for appointment on compassionate ground either on the date of death or within five years of the same. In his affidavit in the writ application the petitioner has given his age as 31 years which confirms the said fact. In any view of the matter, if the death had taken place in the year 1986, the writ application which was filed for compassionate appointment in the year 2006, would not be maintainable on the ground of delay and laches in filing the same. The purpose of compassionate appointment is to enable the family of the deceased government employee to get over the immediate financial hardship on the death of the sole bread earner. The same cannot be sought and granted after a lapse of 20 years. Since the death of the deceased employee, 24 years have passed; hence, this Court does not consider it a fit case for issuing any direction for grant of compassionate appointment. The writ application is accordingly dismissed. S. Pandey ( Ramesh Kumar Datta, J.)