Now Reading: SC stays Madras HC order cancelling Karur stampede jobs
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SC stays Madras HC order cancelling Karur stampede jobs
The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Madras High Court's July 27 order that had quashed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's decision to provide government jobs to relatives of 41…
The Story in Brief
The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Madras High Court's July 27 order that had quashed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's decision to provide government jobs to relatives of 41 people killed in the September 2025 Karur stampede. A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran issued notice to the Tamil Nadu chief secretary and others.
"Who are you to question the policy of the government?" the bench told the PIL petitioner. "If the sole member died in the tragedy, shouldn't the government give some employment to son or daughter?" The Madras High Court had held that the appointments violated constitutional equality principles and could open floodgates for similar demands. The CBI is investigating the stampede that occurred during a TVK roadshow addressed by Vijay.
The Indian Opinion
The Supreme Court's 'who are you to question' remark sounds final, but the legal question is far from settled. The Madras High Court gave a detailed constitutional ruling about equality and waiting lists; the Supreme Court has only paused it. Compassionate appointments normally cover government servants who die in harness, not victims of a political rally. The real test will come when the Supreme Court delivers its final judgment on whether a government's executive power under Article 162 can override the equality code in Articles 14 and 16.
Sources (8): ndtv.com, hindustantimes.com, timesofindia.indiatimes.com, thehindu.com, deccanherald.com, newindianexpress.com, indiatoday.in, livemint.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 8 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 8 sources.
