In Uttarakhand, a woman got her husband’s job after he died, even though a divorce case was going on. The Uttarakhand High Court awarded the woman named Sarita compassionate appointment, who had filed for divorce from her husband Hari Sevak because of their problematic relationship, reported The Times of India.
Sarita filed for divorce in 2015, barely two years after the wedding in 2013, alleging that he used to abuse her. Her husband worked as a watchman at a Tuberculosis (TB) hospital in Nainital. However, he died in 2019 when he was 40 years before the legal battle was settled.
Sarita promptly applied for a compassionate appointment in the post occupied by her late husband. Amit Kumar, Hari’s brother objected to the move and cited his right to the same because of the ongoing divorce proceedings. He also went to the High Court, but he also passed away in October. The High Court has now decided that Sarita’s standing as the deceased’s lawfully wedded wife is unaltered and allowed for her compassionate appointment.
Sarita’s lawyer Prabhat Bohra informed, “Class 12 pass-out Sarita was married to Hari in February 2013 when she was 26. Hari was a heavy drinker and due to his habit, their relationship became so strained that Sarita was forced to file a divorce case in 2015.” He elaborated that the majority of family conflicts are settled through counselling at the mediation centre. Therefore, even after filing for divorce, the couple’s status as husband and wife is maintained by the courts until the matter is concluded.
“For the compassionate appointment, the first and foremost claim is always of the wife of the deceased government servant. Moreover, the mess that her brother-in-law created, has now come to rest due to his demise. The hospital’s chief medical superintendent is directed to consider her claim for a compassionate appointment within six weeks,” the single bench of Justice Pankaj Purohit stated after considering the matter.
