The Supreme Court has put a stay on a Madras High Court order that had struck down the Tamil Nadu government's decision to offer government jobs to families of those killed in last year's Karur stampede.
Forty-one people, including several children, died in the crush during a TVK rally addressed by actor-turned-politician Vijay in September last year. At the time, the DMK was in power in the state.
Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has since come to power in Tamil Nadu.
What The Police Alleged
Police had claimed that Vijay's delayed arrival at the event caused the crowd to swell well beyond permitted capacity, and pointed to several lapses, including insufficient arrangements for drinking water, food and toilets.
TVK rejected these claims, accusing the police of failing to manage the crowd and alleging a conspiracy involving former DMK minister V Senthil Balaji, an allegation he has denied.
ALSO READ: Karur Stampede: Vijay Asks If Adequate Security Was Provided, Targets Political Rivals
Supreme Court's Observations
A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran, while issuing notice to the Tamil Nadu chief secretary and other authorities, questioned the rationale for blocking the compensation-linked jobs, asking why the state should be stopped from offering employment to the son or daughter of a person who died in the tragedy if the government had chosen to extend such support.
The High Court's Earlier Ruling
The relief comes after the Madras High Court, in a setback for the TVK government, quashed the jobs order on July 27, ruling that it violated the constitutional guarantees of equality under Article 14 and equality of opportunity in public employment under Article 16.
The bench, comprising Justices CV Karthikeyan and R Sakthivel, had also warned that the scheme risked opening "floodgates" for similar demands from others.
Appointments Already Handed Out
Earlier in July, before the High Court's order, Chief Minister Vijay had personally handed over compassionate appointment letters to 32 legal heirs of stampede victims, as part of the state government's broader relief and rehabilitation measures for affected families.
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