Plea In Madras High Court Over Jobs To Karur Stampede Victims' Families

A public interest litigation has been moved before the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court seeking to restrain the Tamil Nadu government from offering government jobs to the families of the 41 people killed in the Karur TVK rally stampede, a day before Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay is scheduled to visit the district.

The petition assumes significance amid speculation that the Chief Minister, during his first visit to Karur after assuming office, could announce one government job for each of the bereaved families. Vijay is expected to meet the families of those killed in the tragedy.

Filed by Seeni Ahamed, State Deputy Secretary of the Manithaneya Jananayaga Katchi, the petition seeks a direction restraining the state from implementing any such scheme. It also asks the court to direct the Central Bureau of Investigation to examine whether offering government jobs to the victims' families while its probe is underway could affect the fairness of the investigation.

The petitioner contends that such appointments would bypass the normal recruitment process through the TNPSC and other prescribed procedures, violating the principles of equality and merit in public employment. The affidavit further argues that the families of the deceased are material witnesses in the CBI investigation and that extending government jobs at this stage could give rise to an apprehension of witness inducement or interference with the administration of justice.

The plea also points out that the state has already paid Rs 10 lakh as ex gratia to each bereaved family, while the TVK had announced Rs 20 lakh to the families of those killed and Rs 2 lakh to those injured. It argues that compassionate appointments are meant only for the families of government employees who die in harness and cannot be extended as compensation following a public tragedy.

Forty-one people, including children, were killed in the stampede at a TVK rally addressed by Vijay in Karur in September last year, when the DMK was in power, in one of the deadliest political rally disasters in recent memory. Police had then alleged that Vijay's delay in arriving at the venue led to crowds swelling far beyond the permitted capacity. Investigators also cited several alleged lapses, including inadequate arrangements for drinking water, food and toilet facilities.

The TVK rejected the allegations, maintaining that the tragedy resulted from police failure and alleging a conspiracy orchestrated by former DMK minister Senthil Balaji. Balaji has denied the allegation.

The development also comes days after the DMK wrote to the CBI and the court-appointed supervisory committee overseeing the probe, urging them to ensure that any proposed announcement of government jobs or other benefits to the victims' families does not compromise the integrity of the investigation. The opposition alleged that extending such benefits while the probe is underway could influence key witnesses, a charge the ruling TVK has dismissed.

The ruling TVK has not officially commented on reports that the Chief Minister may announce government jobs for the victims' families during Friday's visit. Responding to the DMK's move earlier this week, however, Law Minister CTR Nirmal Kumar accused the opposition of trying to prevent the Chief Minister's outreach. "The DMK want to stop the Chief Minister visiting Karur," he had said.

The latest petition also comes days after the Supreme Court of India refused to entertain a DMK plea seeking to restrain Vijay and his ministers from making public comments on the Karur tragedy or regulate his interaction with the victims' families. The court questioned the legal basis of the plea, observing, "How can the Supreme Court regulate what a Chief Minister says?" It also remarked that it could not be turned into a "political forum", noting that Vijay is not an accused in the FIRs and questioning whether the court could regulate the Chief Minister's visit or fix his itinerary. The DMK subsequently withdrew the plea with liberty to pursue other legal remedies.

The CBI is investigating the tragedy and has questioned Vijay twice in Delhi. Several senior TVK leaders, who have since become ministers in the state government, have also been named as accused in the case.

On the day of the tragedy, Vijay returned without meeting the injured or the families of those killed, drawing criticism from the opposition. He later met the bereaved families at a hotel on the outskirts of Chennai.