Madras High Court Approves Temporary Jobs for Karur Tragedy Victims' Families

The Madras High Court granted approval on Friday for the Tamil Nadu government to offer jobs to the families of those who lost their lives in the Karur stampede last year. However, the court specified that these positions would be temporary and contingent upon the outcome of judicial review. The division bench, comprising Justices C.V. Karthikeyan and R. Shaktivel, remarked that interfering in the government's policy decisions would reflect a narrow perspective. The bench also permitted the state to proceed with a public event scheduled for Friday afternoon, where appointment letters were to be distributed to the bereaved families. According to a report from 'Live Law', the bench reiterated that judicial interference in policy decisions is not advisable, allowing the state to continue with the event under the condition that the jobs are temporary and subject to judicial scrutiny. The court aims to hear the case by the end of this month, before the first salaries are disbursed to the appointees.

The court also directed the member secretary of the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission to participate in the proceedings as a party and to submit a report on the compassionate appointment rules and their adherence in this case. These comments were made during the hearing of a petition filed by Madurai lawyer Thiran Thirumurugan, who challenged the Tamil Nadu government's decision to provide jobs to the families of the 41 victims of the Karur stampede that occurred last September. The petitioner sought an injunction against the state government from issuing or implementing appointment orders until the Supreme Court concludes its proceedings related to this tragedy. He argued that there is no uniform policy for granting permanent government jobs to the families of victims in such tragedies and that offering jobs in one case could violate the constitutional principles of equality and equal opportunity under Articles 14 and 16. The petition also contended that every eligible citizen has a constitutional right to compete for government jobs, and the lack of a clear policy for such appointments renders the government's decision arbitrary and unconstitutional.

The petitioner further argued that since the cases related to the Karur tragedy are pending in the Supreme Court, granting irreversible administrative benefits at this stage could lead to unnecessary legal and administrative complications. During the hearing, the petitioner emphasized that the proposed appointments contradict the existing rules regarding compassionate appointments, which must be strictly adhered to.