MADURAI: In a sharp rebuke to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam-led govt’s orders giving govt jobs to 31 family members of the people killed at a TVK meeting in Karur, Madras high court on Monday quashed the employment orders saying public employment is not to be thrown away as largesse by the state.Forty-one people were killed and more than 100 others were injured while C Joseph Vijay was addressing the Karur meeting on Sept 27, 2025.After ascending to power, Vijay handed over job orders to 31 people on July 10.Public interest writ petitions were filed in the Madurai bench of Madras high court challenging the legality of the orders.Quashing all the job orders on Monday, a division bench of Justice C V Karthikeyan and Justice R Sakthivel said a govt job has to be earned, its value realised and its importance cherished.
HC quashes govt jobs for Karur stampede victims’ kin
“Any exercise of executive power should be within the confines of the Constitution. If an executive power of the state is left unfettered and given a free hand, then chaos will reign. Grant of compassionate employment for this incident would open the floodgates to various others to seek such employment by referring to examples of the recent incident where persons died in a blast reported in an illegal fireworks unit in Virudhunagar district and road accidents,” the judges said.When the govt justified the compassionate appointments citing a GO issued in 1999 providing employment to kin of a deceased defence personnel, the judges said: “It can never be stated that an army personnel who dies on the warfront for the cause of the nation, could be equated to the members of the families who died in the Karur stampede. We are not stating that the family members of the persons who died in the Karur stampede require less consideration. We have our full sympathy for them. But we also have to take note that fallen war heroes stand on a separate footing and respect should be shown by everybody for their sacrifice.”The court pointed out that it had made it clear that these appointments would be subject to the outcome of the public interest writ petitions against the jobs.Pointing out that the court had made it clear that these appointments would be subject to the outcome of the public interest writ petitions against the jobs, the judges said: “We are conscious of the fact that we are passing an order without hearing those who had been extended the employment. But we had made it very clear that the employment order would be subject to judicial review and those who were granted such employment cannot claim any vested interest.“While permitting chief minister C Joseph Vijay to hand over the appointment letters on July 10, the court had said that the employment would only be on a temporary basis subject to judicial review.Supreme Court in several judgments has laid down principles for grant of compassionate appointment, the judges said, adding: “Several guidelines such as timeframe for application, eligibility criteria, have also been prescribed by the state govt by issuing a GO in 2020. When the govt itself has its own guidelines, it may not be appropriate for the govt to violate the same. Several persons are on the waitlist to get compassionate appointments in every govt department. When there is a waiting list, it may not be appropriate to grant employment for the present case by overlooking the others.”Therefore, the judges held that the appointments are violative of the principles guaranteed to the citizens under Article 14 and 16 of the Constitution.When the state govt referred to govt jobs granted to the family members of the victims who died in police firing during the anti-Sterlite protest in Tuticorin in 2018, the judges said: “We are also conscious of the fact that public interest litigations were filed with respect to the family members of those who died in the (Sterlite) agitation. The govt had also granted ex gratia and employment. But one distinguishing factor was that those deaths are attributed to what could be termed as state excess. We would refrain from stating anything further with respect to the Karur stampede, particularly since the investigation is underway which is monitored by Supreme Court.”When the govt made a last-ditch effort saying that it had provided only a lowly post, the judges observed that every employment has its own credential and value and every employment to that employee is a matter of pride.It is not proper and justifiable for the govt to state to say that it was handing over lowly posts to the family members of those who died in the stampede.The judges also asked why govt could not have extended training in skills and entrepreneurship on various aspects for deserving members of the families of those who died in such tragedies.The govt would be creating leaders, entrepreneurs and self-sufficient individuals in each family who would later on provide employment to others.The govt could bear the expenses towards such technical courses or skilled courses.That would be a far better thing to have been resorted to rather than giving public employment as office assistants, the judges said.
