Madras High Court voids Tamil Nadu jobs for Karur victims

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday, July 27, 2026, struck down the Tamil Nadu government's order granting government jobs to the families of victims of the September 2025 Karur stampede. A division bench of Justices C.V. Karthikeyan and R. Sakthivel ruled the appointments violated constitutional guarantees of equality and equal opportunity in public employment under Articles 14 and 16 of the Indian Constitution.

The court's decision cancels the appointment orders that had been distributed to 31 individuals, with 29 having already joined service. The appointments were part of a relief package announced by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay following the stampede on September 27, 2025, at a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) election rally in Karur, which resulted in 41 deaths and over 60 injuries. The Chief Minister had personally distributed the orders during a visit to Karur on July 10.

In its ruling, the bench emphasized that compassionate appointments in government service are governed by specific rules and are intended for the dependents of government employees who die while in service. The court noted that many eligible applicants are already on waiting lists for...