‘Shouldn’t govt give employment?’ Supreme Court stays HC order on jobs for Karur stampede victims’ kin

Sup eme
Cou t’s
o de
p ovided
i te im
elief
to
the
Tamil
Nadu
gove me t

NEW
DELHI:
The
Sup eme
Cou t
o
F iday
stayed
a

Mad as
High
Cou t
o de
that
had
st uck
dow
the
Tamil
Nadu
gove me t’s
decisio
to
p ovide
gove me t
jobs
to
eligible
elatives
of
those
who
died
i
the
Ka u
stampede
last
yea .A
be ch
of
Justices
JB
Pa diwala
a d
K
Vi od
Cha d a
also
issued
otice
to
the
Tamil
Nadu
chief
sec eta y
a d
othe
espo de ts
o
the
challe ge
to
the
High
Cou t
o de .Du i g
the
hea i g,
the
Sup eme
Cou t
questio ed
the
basis
of
the
challe ge
to
the
gove me t’s
policy
of
p ovidi g
employme t
to
families
affected
by
the
t agedy.“Who
a e
you
to
questio
the
policy
of
the
gove me t?
Suppose
the
sole
membe
died
i
the
t agedy,
should ‘t
the
gove me t
give
some
employme t
to
so
o
daughte ?”
the
be ch
told
the
petitio e
who
had
filed
the
public
i te est
litigatio ,
acco di g
to
PTI.The
Sup eme
Cou t’s
o de
p ovides
i te im
elief
to
the
Tamil
Nadu
gove me t,
led
by
chief
mi iste
C
Joseph
Vijay,
which
had
challe ged
the
High
Cou t’s
decisio .

What
did
Mad as
HC
say?

The
Mad as
high
cou t
had
o
July
27
quashed
the
gove me t’s
o de s
p ovidi g
employme t
to
elatives
of
the
Ka u
stampede
victims.The
cou t
had
held
that
allowi g
such
appoi tme ts
could
ope
the
doo
to
simila
dema ds
f om
families
affected
by
othe
t agedies.

It
also
poi ted
to
existi g
guideli es
gove i g
compassio ate
appoi tme ts
a d
the
la ge
umbe
of
people
waiti g
fo
gove me t
employme t.The
high
cou t
had
obse ved
that
it
was
ot
app op iate
to
ove look
those
al eady
waiti g
fo
compassio ate
appoi tme ts
i
gove me t
depa tme ts.The
backg ou d
case
i volved
the
Septembe
27,
2025
stampede
i
Ka u ,
whe e
41
people
we e
killed
a d
mo e
tha
100
i ju ed
du i g
a
Tamilaga
Vett i
Kazhagam
(TVK)
meeti g
add essed
by
Vijay.Afte
the
i cide t,
the
Tamil
Nadu
gove me t
decided
to
p ovide
gove me t
employme t
to
eligible
family
membe s
of
those
who
died.
Vijay
ha ded
ove
appoi tme t
o de s
to
31
family
membe s
o
July
10,
acco di g
to
the
backg ou d
epo t.The
decisio
was
challe ged
th ough
public
i te est
petitio s
befo e
the
Mad as
high
cou t.

Why
did
the
high
cou t
quash
the
appoi tme ts?

The
High
Cou t
had
said
public
employme t
could
ot
be
t eated
as
a
fo m
of
la gesse
by
the
state
a d
st essed
that
gove me t
jobs
must
be
g a ted
withi
the
f amewo k
of
co stitutio al
p i ciples.It
oted
that
the
Tamil
Nadu
gove me t
al eady
had
guideli es
gove i g
compassio ate
appoi tme ts,
i cludi g
eligibility
equi eme ts
a d
timeli es.The
cou t
had
also
exp essed
co ce
that
g a ti g
jobs
i
this
case
could
lead
families
affected
by
othe
deaths
a d
t agedies
to
seek
simila
appoi tme ts.

The
high
cou t
said
it
had
“full
sympathy”
fo
families
of
those
who
died
i
the
Ka u
t agedy
but
disti guished
the
case
f om
employme t
g a ted
to
families
of
pe so el
who
die
while
se vi g
the
atio .It
also
suggested
that
the
gove me t
could
i stead
suppo t
affected
families
th ough
skill
developme t,
tech ical
t ai i g
a d
e t ep e eu ship
p og ammes,
pote tially
helpi g
family
membe s
become
self-sufficie t.The
Sup eme
Cou t’s
decisio
to
stay
that
o de
mea s
the
high
cou t’s
uli g
will
ot
ope ate
fo
ow,
while
the
apex
cou t
co side s
the
challe ge.