The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has cancelled government job appointments granted to the families of those who died in a crowd crush in Karur in 2025.
The incident occurred at Velusamipuram in Karur, where 41 people were killed after being caught in a stampede-like situation during a campaign meeting. The state had provided government employment to one member from each affected family, which was challenged through a public interest litigation.
During the hearing, the Tamil Nadu government submitted that appointments had been given to 31 persons as a policy decision, within the constitutional framework, and that an exemption had been granted from obtaining approval from the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC). TNPSC also filed a response stating that its permission was not required.
After considering the submissions, the judges—Justice C.V. Karthikeyan and Justice Sakthivel—set aside the appointments. In their order, the Bench questioned why priority should be given in this case when many others await compassionate appointments, and suggested that self-employment training and support could be a more appropriate alternative than government jobs.
