Supreme Court win for Vijay over jobs for Tamil Nadu stampede victims

The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, granting government jobs to the relatives of stampede victims who lost their lives during a rally in Karur in 2025. The Madras High Court had previously quashed this move, deeming it inappropriate and arguing that it would lead to an influx of similar demands.

The Supreme Court's division bench, comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran, stayed the Madras High Court's order and directed the Tamil Nadu chief secretary to respond. This decision comes nearly two weeks after the Madras High Court's ruling, which cited Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution, safeguarding equality before the law and equal opportunity in public employment.

The stampede, which resulted in the tragic loss of 41 lives, is currently under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in response to a Supreme Court order from October 2025.