The Madras High Court quashes a Tamil Nadu government order granting government jobs to relatives of victims of the Karur stampede. Multiple reports say a Division Bench—Justices C V Karthikeyan and R Sakthivel—set aside the appointments following petitions seeking to restrain the state from issuing appointment orders to the families. The court’s reasoning centres on constitutional principles of equality and equal opportunity in public service. It also cites concerns about fairness to other eligible applicants, noting that there are existing waiting lists for compassionate appointments in government departments. Several sources report the bench warns that granting such jobs through an exception risks “floodgates” of similar claims. The court further emphasizes that public employment must be earned through merit rather than granted indiscriminately. While striking down the jobs order, the court suggests alternative support mechanisms for affected families, including skill training and entrepreneurship, instead of direct employment. One report also notes earlier references that any such employment offer was described as temporary and subject to judicial review, but the court ultimately rules against the order.