Karur stampede case: Vijay-led TVK govt gets relief as SC halts order cancelling jobs for victims' kin; what did it say?

The Supreme Court on Friday put on hold a Madras High Court ruling that had struck down Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s TVK government decision to offer government employment to family members of those killed in last year’s Karur stampede, according to PTI.

Vijay had handed over appointment letters on July 10 to 31 relatives of the victims of the September 27, 2025, tragedy. The stampede took place during a rally addressed by Vijay, resulting in 41 deaths and leaving more than 60 people injured.

A Bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran also issued notices to those who had challenged the government’s decision and other concerned parties.

“Who are you to question the policy of the government? Suppose the sole member died in the tragedy, shouldn't the government give some employment to son or daughter?” the Bench asked the PIL petitioner who had challenged the State government’s decision.

According to Bar and Bench, "Issue notice. Judgment passed by the High Court shall remain stayed," the top court stated, adding, “Stampede took placed. Unfortunate incident happened. The government has decided to compensate them. Should government not give employment?"

The Supreme Court passed the order while hearing a plea filed by the Tamil Nadu government and others against the Madras High Court’s ruling.

What Madras HC had said

The High Court had, on July 27, set aside Vijay’s decision to provide government employment to relatives of those killed in the Karur stampede. It had reasoned that allowing such appointments could trigger a flood of similar claims.

The Madurai Bench of the High Court, comprising Justices CV Karthikeyan and R Sakthivel, observed that the interests of numerous people awaiting compassionate appointments in government departments could not be disregarded.

The Bench emphasised that the government’s exercise of executive authority must remain within the framework of the Constitution.

Drawing comparisons with other tragedies, the court referred to deaths in fireworks unit accidents and road crashes, where the families of victims are generally given ex-gratia compensation rather than appointments on compassionate grounds.

Karur Stampede: Probe from SIT to CBI

The Supreme Court, in October 2025, shifted the probe into the incident from the state-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), stressing the importance of an independent and unbiased investigation.

A Bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and NV Anjaria also set up a three-member panel headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ajay Rastogi to oversee the CBI inquiry and ensure that the investigation into the tragedy remains fair and impartial.

The probe is looking into various aspects of the rally, including crowd-control measures, the sequence of events surrounding Vijay's arrival, and the coordination between TVK organisers and local authorities.