Madras High Court permits temporary jobs for Karur stampede victims’ families; reviews pending

The Madras High Court on Friday allowed the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led Tamil Nadu government to issue appointment letters for government jobs to the families of those who died in the Karur stampede, but said the appointments would remain temporary and subject to judicial review.A bench of Justices CV Karthikeyan and R Sakthivel of the Madurai bench allowed the state government to proceed with a function scheduled for 3 pm to hand over appointment letters to the families of the deceased. However, the court made it clear that the beneficiaries cannot receive their first salary until the matter is heard again Live Law and Bar & Bench report.Court’s caution puts government policy under scannerThe court observed that interfering with a policy decision of the government at this stage would be “extremely narrow”, but added that the employment offered would be temporary and subject to further orders.“It would be extremely narrow for the court to interfere with a policy decision of the government. The state shall thus proceed with the function on the condition that employment would be on a temporary basis, subject to judicial review, and we intend to hear the matter by the end of this month, before the prospective persons to whom employment is offered would receive their first salary,” the bench said.The matter will be heard again on July 21. The High Court also directed the state to submit a report explaining the guidelines followed for compassionate appointments and whether those conditions were met in the present case.The court passed the order while hearing a plea filed by Theeran Thirumurugan, a lawyer from Madurai, challenging the state government’s decision to provide jobs to the families of 41 people who died in the Karur stampede in September 2025.Equality versus relief: The legal question before the courtThe petitioner argued that there was no uniform policy for providing permanent government employment in cases of public tragedies. He submitted that offering jobs in one such incident could raise questions about equality and equal opportunity under Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution.The petitioner said every eligible individual had a constitutional right to compete for public employment and that appointments without clear guidelines would be arbitrary and unreasonable. He also argued that since proceedings related to the Karur tragedy were pending before the Supreme Court, granting such benefits could lead to legal and administrative complications.During the hearing, the petitioner contended that the appointments violated existing rules governing compassionate appointments, which are meant to be strictly followed.The state counsel informed the court that a similar application had been filed before the Supreme Court but was later withdrawn. The state also cited the example of government jobs being given to families of those killed in the Thoothukudi police firing.The court, however, said a distinction had to be made as the Thoothukudi incident involved alleged police excess by the state, while the Karur incident could not be considered a case of police excess.The High Court also suo motu impleaded the Member Secretary of the Public Service Commission and sought a report on the guidelines to be followed for compassionate appointments and whether they were followed in this case.WATCH: Indian Diplomat Puja Jha Objects To 'Incorrect' India Map At Bangladesh Seminar Over J&K Depiction | VIDEOThe court also observed that public employment must generally remain open to all eligible candidates and cannot be denied without reasonable justification.The petitions were filed against the Tamil Nadu government’s decision to provide jobs to the families of those who died in the September 2025 stampede at a TVK rally in Karur. The state said the decision was a policy measure aimed at supporting families that had lost their earning members.The petitioners argued that compassionate appointments are usually governed by strict rules applicable to dependants of government employees who die while in service. They contended that extending such benefits to victims of a public tragedy without an existing policy or uniform guidelines could violate constitutional guarantees of equality and equal opportunity.The state opposed the petitions and maintained that similar decisions had been taken in previous tragedies. It argued that the appointments were intended as support for affected families.

The Madras High Court allowed the Tamil Nadu government to issue temporary job appointments to families of the Karur stampede victims, ruling that the appointments will remain subject to judicial review.

The Madras high court permitted temporary appointments for Karur stampede victims. These employment offers are subject to judicial review and further guidelines. The court seeks a report on the criteria for compassionate appointments. A public interest litigation questioned the constitutional basis for these proposed government jobs. The state must now present its policy for these appointments.