The Madras High Court on Friday (10 July) allowed the Tamil Nadu government to distribute government job appointment orders to the families of those who died in the 2025 Karur stampede. At the same time, the Court made it clear that the appointments would remain temporary and would be subject to the outcome of the pending judicial review.
A Division Bench of Justice C.V. Karthikeyan and Justice R. Sakthivel passed the interim directions while hearing a petition challenging the government's decision to grant compassionate appointments to the victims' families.
Background of the Case
The case concerns the State government's decision to provide government jobs on compassionate grounds to the families of 41 people who lost their lives in the Karur stampede in September 2025. The incident is currently under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The petitioner questioned the legality of these appointments, arguing that compassionate appointments are generally governed by specific rules applicable to the dependants of government employees who die while in service. It was contended that extending such benefits in a public tragedy without a uniform policy could violate the constitutional principles of equality and equal opportunity in public employment under Articles 14 and 16.
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The plea also pointed out that the affected families had already received ex gratia compensation and argued that granting government employment while related proceedings remain pending could have legal implications.
Court's Observations
The Bench observed that courts should be cautious while interfering with government policy decisions. However, it also noted that public employment is ordinarily open to all eligible candidates and that any departure from this principle must be supported by an appropriate legal framework.
Permitting the government function to proceed, the Bench observed,
"It may be extremely narrow for the Court to intervene in a policy decision. But we would permit the function to proceed further with a condition that the employment would only be on a temporary basis, subject to further review."
The Court further directed that the beneficiaries should not receive their first salary before the matter is taken up again.
During the hearing, the Bench also sought details regarding the policy governing such appointments. It directed the State government to file a report explaining the guidelines relied upon for granting compassionate appointments in the present case and whether those requirements had been satisfied.
In addition, the Court impleaded the Member Secretary of the supervisory committee overseeing the CBI investigation into the Karur stampede and sought relevant information for the proceedings.
State's Stand
The State defended its decision, submitting that similar assistance had been extended in certain earlier tragedies as a policy measure to support families who had lost their earning members. It also informed the Court that a similar challenge before the Supreme Court had earlier been withdrawn.
The Bench, however, noted that previous instances would have to be examined in their own factual context while considering the validity of the present policy.
Decision
The Madras High Court permitted the Tamil Nadu government to issue appointment orders to the families of the Karur stampede victims and allowed the scheduled government event to go ahead.
However, it directed that the appointments would remain temporary, subject to further judicial review, and ordered that no appointee should receive salary until the matter is heard again.
The case has been posted for further hearing on July 21.
Case Details
Case Title: Theeran Thirumurugan @ Thirumurugan v. The Chief Secretary
Case Number: WP(MD) No. 19539 of 2026
Judge: Justice C.V. Karthikeyan and Justice R. Sakthivel
Decision Date: July 10, 2026
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