Chandigarh, Nov. 3 -- The Punjab and Haryana high court has ordered the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (UHBVNL) to pay Rs.7.5 lakh as compensation, along with 6% annual interest, to a petitioner whose applications for job on compassionate grounds were rejected twice. Pankaj Kumar had filed the plea in 2017 challenging the rejection orders which were issued in March 2004 and October 2015. The petitioner's father, who joined UHBVNL in April 1977 as an assistant lineman, became 100% disabled on June 2, 1999, at the age of 45 after suffering an electric shock while working on a 25-foot pole. He was subsequently retired on medical grounds with effect from September 6, 2000, based on the assurance that his son would be considered for employment under the then prevalent ex gratia scheme. However, the UHBVNL later rejected the claim, citing the withdrawal of the relevant policy (dated November 23, 1992) and the non-applicability of the subsequent Haryana Compassionate Assistance to the Dependents of the Deceased Government Employees Rules, 2003. The court stated that the constitutional philosophy "prioritises human dignity above all else." It noted that administrative authorities often display "persistent and unwarranted apathy and insensitivity," highlighting ins'tances where officials "mechanically dispose of representations, delay decisions, ignore judicial orders or raise pedantic objections," thereby adopting a hyper-technical approach to deny substantive justice. The court stressed that governance must "transcend rule bound rigidity and endorse a humane, compassionate, and accountable approach."...