The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday set aside an order granting government jobs to relatives of those who died in the Karur stampede last year, dealing a setback to the Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government.
A division bench comprising Justices C V Karthikeyan and R Sakthivel ruled that providing compassionate appointments to the families of the stampede victims was not justified when several others were already waiting for government employment under existing procedures.
The court observed that overlooking the needs of those on the waiting list would violate the constitutional guarantees of equality under Articles 14 and 16.
“When there is a waiting list, it is not appropriate to overlook their needs and extend what is termed as succour to family members of the Karur incident. We hold that these appointments are in direct violation of the guarantee to a citizen of this country under Article 14 and 16 of the Constitution,” the Bench said.
Court questions special treatment for stampede victims’ families
The Bench stressed that the exercise of executive power must remain within constitutional boundaries and warned that allowing such appointments could open the “floodgates” for similar demands from others affected by tragedies.
The court also referred to deaths caused by accidents at firework units and road mishaps, noting that in such cases, families of victims are generally provided ex-gratia compensation rather than government jobs on compassionate grounds.
While Advocate General Vijay Narayan argued that the appointments were based on a government policy decision, the petitioners maintained that a government order already existed and had to be followed while granting compassionate appointments.
TVK government may challenge order in Supreme Court
According to news agency PTI, the Tamil Nadu government is considering approaching the Supreme Court to challenge the High Court’s decision.
The controversy relates to appointment orders distributed by Chief Minister Vijay on July 10 to 31 people who are relatives of those killed in the Karur stampede on September 27, 2025.
The appointments were announced after a TVK rally addressed by party chief Vijay in Karur turned tragic when a stampede broke out, killing 41 people and leaving more than 60 others injured.
