Madras HC Quashes Job Offers for Karur Victims as West Bengal Announces Relief

A Division Bench of the Madras High Court, comprising Justices C V Karthikeyan and R Sakthivel, quashed a Tamil Nadu government order offering public employment to families of 41 victims killed in the Karur stampede. The court held that these appointments violated Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution, ruling that executive compassion cannot override merit-based recruitment and equality before the law. Meanwhile, West Bengal's administration announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹5 lakh to each family affected by the separate fatal Sundarbans trawler capsizing, alongside civic volunteer positions.

The TVK-led Tamil Nadu government, headed by Chief Minister Vijay, had defended the Karur jobs under Article 162 executive powers. However, the bench noted that unlike police firing incidents, the stampede did not involve state excesses. In West Bengal, the trawler incident unfolded after the vessel Joy Maa Kali lost contact on July 8, 2026, and was recovered near Bagher Chowk Island on July 14, claiming 11 lives with four missing, prompting state leaders to upgrade coastal disaster management protocols.

Instead of public jobs, the Madras High Court suggested the Tamil Nadu government invest in technical education and entrepreneurship training for the Karur victims' families. The 41 families who received provisional orders will likely lose their positions. In West Bengal, families will also receive ₹2 lakh from the National Relief Fund, as declared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ensuring multi-tiered financial support for disaster-hit households.