Interim order from Madurai Bench
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday said there is no bar on the Tamil Nadu government issuing job appointment orders to the families of those who died in the crowd crush during a TVK campaign meeting in Karur. However, the court clarified that any such appointments will be purely temporary and will depend on the final outcome of the case.
Petitions sought a stay on appointments
The petitions were filed by Naam Tamilar Katchi functionary Dheeran Thirumurugan and Manithaneya Jananayaga Katchi state deputy secretary Seeni Ahmed, among others, seeking to restrain the government from granting jobs to the victims’ families. A division bench comprising Justices C.V. Karthikeyan and R. Sakthivel heard the matter.
Arguments on policy and equal opportunity
Petitioners argued that guidelines in a 2020 government order on compassionate appointments were not followed and that granting jobs in this case would violate constitutional principles of equality and equal opportunity in public employment. They also pointed to several past incidents where compensation was paid but compassionate appointments were not granted, and warned that this could become a precedent for future claims.
Court: policy space is limited, but appointments are provisional
The state, represented by Additional Advocate General Saravanan, said compensation had already been paid and cited an instance of compassionate appointment in the Thoothukudi Sterlite firing case. The bench observed that courts have limited scope to interfere in policy decisions and permitted the government to proceed with the planned appointment event, while making it clear that all such jobs are provisional and subject to the court’s final order. The bench also indicated the case would be concluded by the end of the month, before appointees receive their first month’s salary.
