In a major relief for the families of those killed in the Karur stampede, the Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Madras High Court order that had cancelled the Tamil Nadu government’s decision to provide government jobs to eligible family members of the victims.
A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran issued notice to the Tamil Nadu government and other respondents while hearing a challenge to the High Court’s July 27 decision. The Supreme Court’s intervention means the earlier order cancelling the appointments will remain stayed while the legal challenge is considered.
The case relates to the September 27, 2025 stampede at a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) rally in Karur, in which 41 people lost their lives and more than 100 others were injured. After coming to power, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s government announced government employment for eligible dependants of the deceased as part of its rehabilitation measures.
On July 10, Vijay handed over appointment orders to 31 family members of the victims. Most of the beneficiaries were appointed as junior assistants in different government departments, based on their educational qualifications.
However, the Madras High Court later quashed the appointments, holding that public employment must comply with constitutional principles and established recruitment procedures. The court had said that extending government jobs in this manner could overlook people already waiting for appointments and potentially create similar demands following other tragedies.
During Friday’s hearing, the Supreme Court questioned the challenge to the government’s policy decision and raised the issue of whether the state should be prevented from providing employment assistance to families who had lost their sole earning members in the tragedy. The bench’s observations indicated that the humanitarian aspect of the government’s decision would need to be examined alongside the legal questions surrounding public employment.
The Supreme Court’s stay comes as significant relief to the affected families, who had faced uncertainty over the continuation of the appointments following the High Court verdict. The matter will now be examined by the apex court, which will ultimately determine whether the Tamil Nadu government’s decision can stand under the law.
For the families of the Karur victims, the Supreme Court’s intervention has temporarily restored hope that the employment support promised by the Vijay-led government will continue.
