New Delhi, July 30, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Tamil Nadu government has approached the Supreme Court challenging a Madras High Court judgment that struck down its decision to provide compassionate appointments to the families of those who died in the September 2025 Karur stampede.
The state has filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) against the July 27 ruling delivered by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, which held that extending compassionate appointments to the victims’ families was unconstitutional.
A Division Bench comprising Justice C.V. Karthikeyan and Justice R. Sakthivel ruled that compassionate appointments cannot be granted through executive discretion in a manner that overrides the constitutional guarantees of equality and equal opportunity in public employment.
The High Court observed that compassionate appointments are intended solely to provide immediate financial relief to the dependents of government employees who die while in service. It held that the policy cannot be expanded into a broader rehabilitation measure for victims of public tragedies.
The Bench further held that the Tamil Nadu government had exceeded the scope of its executive powers under Article 162 of the Constitution, stressing that such powers remain subject to the safeguards enshrined in Articles 14 and 16.
The court also noted that extending compassionate appointments to the families of stampede victims would place them ahead of thousands of eligible applicants already awaiting appointments under the existing policy.
“Exercise of executive power must be within the constitutional limits. If executive action were to be left unfettered and given free hand, chaos will reign,” the Bench observed in its judgment.
While expressing sympathy for the bereaved families and acknowledging the government’s concern, the High Court said the state remained free to extend financial assistance or other forms of relief. However, it ruled that public employment could not be offered in violation of constitutional principles governing recruitment.
The case arose from the Tamil Nadu government’s decision to offer compassionate appointments to the families of those killed in the Karur stampede in September 2025. With the filing of the SLP, the matter is now set to be examined by the Supreme Court.
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