# Rajasthan HC orders widow to pay 25% salary to mother-in-law

2026-09-23T10:26:37+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 2 independent outlets

The Rajasthan High Court has directed Ajmer Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited to deduct 25% of the monthly salary of a woman who got a compassionate job after her husband died and credit it to her elderly mother-in-law. The court also ordered that half the deceased employee's terminal benefits be paid to the mother. Justice Anand Sharma passed the order on September 17, 2026, after the mother petitioned that the widow had remarried and abandoned her in-laws. The widow was appointed as a lower division clerk in August 2017 after her husband, Subhash Chand Verma, a technical helper with the power company, died in March 2017. She had given an undertaking to maintain other family members. The court noted that compassionate appointment carries moral responsibility towards surviving dependants and that the widow could not disassociate herself from that obligation. Both LiveLaw and The Times of India report the same facts. The 25% deduction from salary will continue for the mother's lifetime.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

Both LiveLaw and The Times of India report the same facts neutrally, with no discernible slant either way. The core legal principle is that a compassionate appointment is not a personal benefit but a family-support scheme. The ruling extends that obligation to a widow who remarries and leaves the household. The practical implication is significant: it clarifies that an undertaking given at the time of appointment is enforceable even after remarriage. The timeline to watch is the 30-day deadline for the power company to release the terminal benefits, and the ongoing monthly deduction mechanism.

## Coverage

- livelaw.in (neutral report) <https://www.livelaw.in/high-court/rajasthan-high-court/rajasthan-high-court-orders-salary-deduction-compassionate-appointment-after-remarried-551325>
  Straight court reporting, no editorialising on the widow or the in-laws.
- timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/legal/news/widow-gets-job-after-husbands-death-rajasthan-hc-orders-25-salary-to-mother-in-law/articleshow/134429012.cms>
  Straight court reporting, uses same facts and quotes without slant.

Tags: Ajmer Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited, Justice Anand Sharma, Rajasthan High Court
Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/rajasthan-hc-orders-widow-to-pay-25-salary-to-mother-in-law/
License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources.
Cite: https://indianopinion.org/rajasthan-hc-orders-widow-to-pay-25-salary-to-mother-in-law/#story-in-brief