Judgment :- K.A. Abdul Gafoor, J. The petitioner's husband, while working in Indian Air Force died on 24.12.1990. Employment assistance was granted to the eldest son of the petitioner. According to the petitioner he did not accept it and he left the family also. That was in 1997. Now the petitioner seeks for employment assistance to be given to the petitioner' second son. This prayer cannot be granted on several reasons. 2. The Supreme Court in Haryana State Electricity Board & Ann v. Hakim Singh (1997 (8) SCC 85) held as follows: "The rule of appointments to public service is that they should be on merits and through open invitation. It is the normal route through which one can get into a public employment. However, as every rule can have exceptions, there are a few exceptions to the said rule also which have been evolved to meet certain contingencies. As per one such exception relief is provided to the bereaved family of a deceased employee by accommodating one of his dependants in a vacancy. The object is to give succour to the family which has been suddenly plunged into penury due to the untimely death of its sole breadwinner. This Court has observed time and again that the object of providing such amelorating relief should not be taken as opening an alternative mode of recruitment to public employment". In Smt. Sushama Gosain & Ors. v. Union of India & Ors. (1989 (4) SCC 468), the Supreme Court pointed out that the purpose of providing such employment assistance is to mitigate the hardship due to the death of the breadwinner in the family and is to immediately redeem the family from distress. 3. So assistance is not one to be granted at any time and even after a decade. It is a special provision to mitigate the hardship of a bereaved family to save the family from immediate penury after the death of the sole breadwinner. When that principle is applied there is no reason for granting employment assistance after a decade. Moreover employment assistance had been granted to the eldest son. If the eldest son had not accepted the appointment it cannot be given to another incumbent. Employment assistance is not one to be granted to one after another of the legal heirs. The Original Petition fails and is dismissed.