119 IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Date of decision: 08.01.2026 Kapil Joshi ....Petitioner Versus State of Punjab and others ...Respondents CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE HARPREET SINGH BRAR Present: Mr. Arihant Goyal, Advocate and Ms. Lovedeep Kaur, Advocate for the petitioner.

Mr. Vikas Arora, DAG, Punjab.

HARPREET SINGH BRAR, J. (ORAL)

1. The present civil writ petition has been filed under Articles 226/227 of the Constitution of India for issuance of a writ in the nature of mandamus directing the respondent/authorities to consider the petitioner for compassionate appointment and to grant all other benefits admissible to him and further, for issuance of a writ in the nature of certiorari for quashing the impugned reply dated 24.10.2024 (Annexure P-6) to the legal notice letter dated 20.08.2024 (Annexure P-5).

2. Learned counsel for the petitioner inter alia contends that the petitioner’s father who was serving as a Clerk died on 25.09.1985 as discernible from Annexure P-1. At the time of his father’s death, the petitioner was only two months old. The petitioner’s mother received the death-cum- retiral dues in the year 1986 and being unaware of the policy governing