SC Stays Madras HC Verdict on Government Jobs for Karur Stampede Victims’ Relatives

The Supreme Court on Friday stayed a Madras High Court order that had quashed the Tamil Nadu government’s decision to provide government jobs to relatives of people who died in the Karur stampede last year.

A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran issued notices to the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary and other respondents while hearing a petition challenging the state government’s employment policy.

Questioning the basis of the challenge, the Supreme Court asked the petitioner whether the government could not provide employment to a family member when the sole earning member or only member of a family had died in a tragedy.

“Who are you to question the policy of the government?” the bench observed. It further asked whether, in a situation where the only member of a family died in the incident, the government should not provide employment to the deceased person’s son or daughter.

The development comes as a relief for the Tamil Nadu government, after the Madras High Court on July 27 struck down the employment order issued by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay.

The High Court had held that extending government appointments to relatives of the stampede victims could open the floodgates for similar demands in the future. It had also observed that the policy could overlook the interests of numerous applicants already waiting for compassionate appointments in government departments.

A division bench of Justices CV Karthikeyan and R Sakthivel had ruled that it would not be appropriate to bypass the existing framework for compassionate appointments to accommodate the relatives of victims through a separate government policy.

The Supreme Court’s interim order means the High Court judgment will remain stayed while the apex court considers the government’s position and the legal challenge.

The case could have wider implications for compassionate government appointments, particularly where governments seek to provide employment as a special measure following major tragedies or exceptional circumstances.