The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday annulled the Tamil Nadu government’s plan to provide state jobs to relatives of those who died in the Karur stampede last year. The ruling affects the administration led by C Joseph Vijay of TVK. A Division Bench comprising Justices CV Karthikeyan and R Sakthivel ruled that such appointments would disadvantage other applicants already on waiting lists for compassionate appointments across departments. The judges stated that the move violated constitutional guarantees under Articles 14 and 16. They noted that executive actions must stay within constitutional limits. Government sources indicated the administration may appeal to the Supreme Court. The court contrasted this case with other incidents like factory fires or road accidents, where families receive only financial aid rather than jobs. It warned that approving these appointments could lead to similar demands from others. Public employment must be earned through proper processes rather than granted at discretion, the bench added. On July 10, Chief Minister Vijay distributed appointment letters to 31 relatives of the victims. Separately, the Supreme Court transferred the stampede investigation from a state team to the CBI and formed a panel led by former Justice Ajay Rastogi to monitor the probe.
