Published Jul 27, 2026 | 6:33 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 27, 2026 | 6:33 PM
Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay hands over appointment orders to 31 eligible family members at a government function in Karur. (Credit: CMO Tamil Nadu)
Synopsis: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has quashed the Tamil Nadu government’s order granting compassionate government jobs to eligible family members of those killed in the 2025 Karur stampede, ruling that public employment cannot be offered outside the constitutional recruitment process. The court said the State could instead provide livelihood assistance and skill development, and stressed that government jobs cannot be used as a form of compensation.
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday, 27 July, struck down the Tamil Nadu government’s order granting government jobs to eligible family members of those killed in the 2025 Karur stampede on compassionate grounds.
A Division Bench comprising Justices CV Karthikeyan and S Sakthivel was hearing a batch of public interest litigations challenging the appointments.
The court held that public employment cannot be granted outside the constitutional recruitment process merely as a measure of compensation, even while recognising the need to rehabilitate the bereaved families.
On 10 July, the court had allowed the government to issue appointment orders on a temporary basis, on the condition that the matter would be decided before the beneficiaries received their first month’s salary.
The same day, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay handed over appointment orders to 31 eligible family members at a government function in Karur.
Most of the beneficiaries were appointed as Junior Assistants, Office Assistants and to other posts based on their educational qualifications. One family, which did not have an eligible candidate for employment, was instead sanctioned an ex gratia payment of ₹10 lakh.
Also Read: Horse trading or strategy? Inside the TVK’s play for AIADMK leaders
The stampede occurred on 27 September, 2025, at Velusamypuram, Karur, during a public event organised by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam then campaigning for the 2026 Assembly elections. The crowd crush claimed 41 lives.
A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the stampede is still underway, while separate proceedings related to the stampede are also pending before the Supreme Court.
After assuming power, the TVK government announced a relief package that included financial assistance and compassionate government employment for one eligible member from each bereaved family.
Several Opposition parties, including the TVK’s allies such as the Communist Party of India (CPI), have criticised the decision, saying that public employment should be filled only through the established recruitment process.
A public interest litigation before the High Court challenged the decision, contending that it lacked a legal framework and could prejudice the ongoing judicial proceedings related to the crowd crush.
The petitioners argued that government jobs cannot be granted as compensation for an accident and must instead be filled through the constitutional recruitment process.
They submitted that nearly 39 lakh unemployed youth in Tamil Nadu are awaiting government jobs and that around 20 lakh candidates apply for various recruitment examinations.
Granting public employment outside the regular selection process, the petition argued, violated the constitutional guarantee of equality in public employment and set an undesirable precedent.
Also Read: TNUSRB’s delay in SI recruitment leaves thousands of aspirants in limbo as age relaxation nears end
The Tamil Nadu government defended the decision as a conscious policy measure intended to secure the livelihood of families that had lost their earning members.
In a counter affidavit filed by Revenue and Disaster Management Secretary KS Palanisamy, the State said the appointments were made within the constitutional framework and on humanitarian grounds.
The government also relied on a 2018 Government Order exempting compassionate appointments from obtaining the concurrence of the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC).
It further pointed out that similar compassionate appointments had previously been granted to the families of those killed in the 2018 Sterlite police firing in Thoothukudi and in the Leelavathi murder case in Madurai.
Appearing for the State, Advocate General PS Raman argued that the appointments were intended solely to provide livelihood support.
He also questioned the maintainability of the PILs, contending that it was unclear whether the petitioner had approached the court in genuine public interest or was, in effect, seeking employment-related relief.
Also Read: Tamil Nadu records higher education gains amid continued NEP standoff, Centre tells Lok Sabha
During the hearing, the Bench observed that the State could consider providing skill development programmes and livelihood assistance, instead of government jobs, to rehabilitate the affected families.
The judges also disagreed with the State’s submission that the appointments involved only “ordinary jobs.”
“No government job is an ordinary job. Every government post provides livelihood to a family,” the Bench observed.
The court further noted that accepting such appointments as a matter of policy could lead to similar demands following other tragedies, including government bus accidents or recurring industrial accidents such as firecracker factory explosions in Sivakasi.
The judges also observed that thousands of eligible candidates continue to await recruitment through regular TNPSC examinations.
The Bench clarified that it was not examining the cause of the 2025 Karur stampede or the liability of any individual.
Since the Supreme Court is monitoring proceedings arising from the incident and the CBI investigation is continuing, the High Court said it did not wish to make any observations that could affect those proceedings.
Holding that compassionate government employment in the present case could not be legally sustained, the Division Bench quashed the Government Order granting government jobs to the family members of those killed in the 2025 Karur stampede.
The judgment resolves the challenge before the High Court to the appointments, while the criminal investigation into the stampede continues separately.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
