The Supreme Court has strongly criticized Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) for filing what it termed a “totally frivolous” petition challenging a Madhya Pradesh High Court decision in favor of a man seeking compassionate appointment.

A bench comprising Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and S V N Bhatti expressed sharp displeasure over BSNL’s decision to escalate the matter to the apex court. The court imposed an exemplary cost of ₹1 lakh on the state-owned telecom firm, directing it to pay the amount directly to the respondent, Pavan Thakur, within two weeks. Proof of payment must be filed with the registry, the bench warned, adding that non-compliance would lead to “appropriate orders.”

The court further allowed BSNL to recover the penalty from the officers who advised filing the petition, stating, “We find that this is one of those cases which is totally frivolous in nature. In fact, we are shocked as to why such a petition has been filed before this Court.”

The case dates back to the death of Pavan Thakur’s father, a BSNL peon, in 2000. His mother was appointed on compassionate grounds in 2009 but later passed away. Pavan applied for a compassionate appointment in 2010, but his request was rejected by the Circle High Power Committee. In 2018, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) overturned BSNL’s decision and directed his appointment.

BSNL challenged this before the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which dismissed its petition in April this year, noting that the applicant was living in a temporary jhuggi and deserved at least one point for residence—making him eligible under the compassionate grounds policy.

Despite this, BSNL approached the Supreme Court with a special leave petition, which has now been dismissed with an exemplary penalty of ₹1 lakh.