The Rajasthan High Court has ordered a widow to remit 25% of her monthly salary to her mother-in-law's bank account after she allegedly abandoned the elderly couple for whom she had pledged care. The court issued this directive against a woman who secured a compassionate appointment with Ajmer Vidyut Vitran Nigam (AVVN) following the death of her husband in 2017. Her late husband worked for the power utility, and under government rules, his family was entitled to one job to ensure financial stability after his passing.
The widow, who accepted the position, had submitted an affidavit undertaking to support her father-in-law and mother-in-law. That agreement formed the very basis for her hiring. However, the court noted that she subsequently moved out of the matrimonial home, stopped providing maintenance, and remarried. Her mother-in-law, left without support, approached the bench seeking relief.
Justice Sanjeev Kumar Sharma, presiding over the case, rejected the argument that the compassionate appointment was an individual benefit for the widow alone. The judge clarified that the scheme’s purpose is to aid the entire bereaved family, which explicitly includes the deceased employee's parents. "It cannot be countenanced that, after the death of her husband, the daughter-in-law, having secured a compassionate appointment in his place, may thereafter abandon her aged in-laws and leave them at the mercy of destiny," the court observed.
Supreme Court advocate Amitraj Kaushal, who tracked the case, noted that the ruling hinges on the fiduciary duty created by the widow's initial undertaking. By accepting the job based on her promise to care for the in-laws, she created a legal obligation that does not dissolve upon her remarriage or departure from the home. The court also cited the 2025 judgment in Bhagwan Singh Vs. Suptd Engineer Pawas to reinforce that the scheme serves the family unit, not just the immediate spouse.
In addition to the monthly deduction, the court ordered the distribution of the deceased employee's terminal benefits. The widow will receive 50% of these funds, with the remaining 50% going to her mother-in-law. AVVN must implement the 25% salary deduction immediately, transferring the amount directly to the mother-in-law's account to bypass any further disputes over payment.