Karur stampede: Caveat filed in SC against Madras HC's jobs order

A caveat petition has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Madras High Court order that struck down the Tamil Nadu government's decision to provide compassionate jobs to the families of the Karur stampede victims.

A caveat petition has been filed in the Supreme Court on behalf of Seeni Ahmed, State Deputy Secretary of the Manithaneya Jananayaga Katchi (MJK), in connection with an appeal challenging the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court's order on government jobs for the families of those who died in the stampede in Karur in Tamil Nadu.

Madras High Court Quashes Government Order

On July 27, the Madras High Court had struck down the Tamil Nadu government's decision to provide compassionate appointments to the kin of the stampede victims, saying that the move violated Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution, which guarantee equality before law and equal opportunity in government employment. The court made the observations in a PIL challenging the decision of the newly formed government, headed by CM Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party.

'A Landmark Judgment for All of India'

Advocate Cleetus said, "Today marks a huge victory for the youngsters in Tamil Nadu. It is a landmark judgment for all of India because the Supreme Court has already given directions and guidelines on how to follow compensation orders. In Tamil Nadu, there is already a GO that governs compensation orders. So, based on that, we presented our arguments. Subsequently, the court set aside the GO that granted employment to the family of the Karur incident victims. The government cited four incidents in support of its case. The Madurai Bench of the High Court has set aside the GO governing employment in the Karur incident."

Advocate Mohammed Rashid said, "The question of law was whether employment could be provided on compassionate grounds to the family members of those who died in the Karur stampede. We relied on an important Supreme Court judgment. The Supreme Court has already issued guidelines governing compassionate appointments. Under that judgment, the Supreme Court laid down four guidelines."

"According to those guidelines, the deceased persons in the Karur stampede do not fall within the eligible categories. Therefore, they cannot claim employment under the existing guidelines for compassionate appointments... After considering our submissions, the court allowed our petition. The government's main contention was that the jobs were given under a government policy. Our submission was that the scheme was a political move. Granting employment in this manner is not in accordance with the law or the applicable rules and regulations. Therefore, it is not maintainable. The court accepted our petition," Cleetus said.

The Karur Stampede and Government's Response

The Karur stampede took place during a rally of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief and actor Vijay on September 27, 2025, leaving 41 people dead and several others injured.

Earlier this month, on July 10, Chief Minister Vijay visited Karur and participated in a series of government and party programmes, including the distribution of compassionate government job appointment orders to 32 legal heirs of of victims who lost their lives in the Karur stampede. (ANI)

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