MADURAI — In a landmark constitutional ruling, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday quashed executive orders issued by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s government granting government jobs to relatives of victims killed in the Karur rally stampede.
A Division Bench comprising Justice C. V. Karthikeyan and Justice R. Sakthivel ruled that extending discretionary public employment violates Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution, which guarantee equality before the law and equal opportunity in public recruitment.
The decision invalidates appointment orders distributed on July 10 to 31 family members of the 41 people who lost their lives during a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) election rally in Karur in September 2025.
Constitutional Limits on Executive Discretion
Rejection of the state’s defense—which attempted to justify the jobs under executive power (Article 162) and analogies to defense casualties—was central to the court’s judgment,
- Equal Opportunity Over Discretion – Public jobs must be earned through transparent recruitment or established statutory schemes, not handed out as discretionary state largesse.
- Bypassing Statutory Waiting Lists – Overlooking candidates already awaiting statutory compassionate appointments in government departments violates equal protection principles.
- Precedent Risk – The bench warned that allowing employment for stampede casualties would “open the floodgates” for similar demands following fireworks explosions, industrial disasters, or motor accidents.
Rehabilitation Through Skill Building, Not State Jobs
While expressing deep sympathy for the grieving families, the bench underscored that fallen war veterans stand on a distinct legal footing from disaster casualties.
Instead of public employment, the court recommended that the state support victims’ kin through direct financial ex-gratia assistance, vocational training, and entrepreneurship grants to foster long-term self-sufficiency.
The state government has indicated plans to challenge the High Court’s ruling before the Supreme Court.
