Big Blow To CM Vijay: Madras HC Strikes Down Job Order For Karur Stampede Victims' Families

In a major blow to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, the Madras High Court on Monday set aside the state government's order to provide jobs to the victims of the Karur stampede.

While quashing the GO, the Madras High Court said that govt jobs to kin of people who died in the Karur stampede violate Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution. The court added that such an order will open 'floodgates' for others to seek such employment.

The Karur stampede occurred on September 27 last year during a rally by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor Vijay ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls. 41 people had died in the tragic mishap while several others were injured.

Speaking about the Madurai Bench's decision, Advocate Cleetus said, "Today marks a huge victory for the youngsters in Tamil Nadu. It is a landmark judgment for all of India because the Supreme Court has already given directions and guidelines on how to follow compensation orders. In Tamil Nadu, there is already a GO that governs compensation orders. So, based on that, we presented our arguments. Subsequently, the court set aside the GO that granted employment to the family of the Karur incident victims. The government cited four incidents in support of its case...The Honorable Madurai Bench of the High Court has set aside the GO governing employment in the Karur incident."

Supreme Court handed over the investigation to the CBI

While hearing the case, the Supreme Court in October last year stressed the need for an independent and impartial probe and transferred the investigation from the state-level Special Investigation Team (SIT) to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

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The CBI is looking into several aspects of the rally, including crowd management arrangements, the timing of Vijay's arrival and coordination between party organisers and local authorities.

32 people got compassionate appointments

Earlier this month, CM Vijay handed over appointment letters to 32 legal heirs of the victims who lost their lives in the Karur stampede on grounds of compassion.

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These appointments were part of the state government's relief and rehabilitation measures aimed at providing financial security to the affected families.