Kohima: The Supreme Court killed a bid for a government job. The court tossed out a Special Leave Petition challenging a Gauhati High Court Kohima Bench ruling. That ruling blocked the Nagaland government from giving a compassionate appointment to a deceased officer's son.
The legal fight centers on a Naik from the District Executive Force in Mokokchung. The man died while serving on January 12, 2008. His son later demanded a spot under the state's die-in-harness scheme. A Single Judge ordered the hire on November 12, 2024. However, a Division Bench consisting of Justice Unni Krishnan Nair and Justice Yarenjungla Longkumer overturned that move on February 4, 2026.
Courts favor the living. They want to prevent immediate financial ruin for families left behind by government workers. But time changes things. The High Court judges noted that 15 years passed since the father died. The family survived that gap without help. Because of the long delay, the judges ruled the claim lacked merit.
The court leaned on the State of West Bengal versus Debabrata Tiwari precedent. That case established that claims lose weight when too much time passes. The court noted that when a long delay happens, the "sense of immediacy" is diluted. The Supreme Court backed this logic in an order dated September 28, 2026. They found no reason to step in.
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