The Supreme Court on Friday stayed a Madras High Court order that had struck down Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s decision to provide government jobs to relatives of those who died in last year’s Karur stampede.
A bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran also issued notices to the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary and other respondents, putting the High Court’s ruling on hold while the matter is considered.
‘Who are you to question government policy?’
During the hearing, the Supreme Court questioned the PIL petitioner who had challenged the state government’s decision.
“Who are you to question the policy of the government? Suppose the sole member died in the tragedy, shouldn’t the government give some employment to son or daughter?” the bench observed.
The remarks came as the court examined the government’s decision to offer employment to families who had lost members in the tragedy.
Madras HC had quashed Vijay’s order
The Supreme Court’s intervention comes as a setback to the Madras High Court’s July 27 decision, which had quashed Vijay’s order.
The High Court had expressed concern that allowing such appointments could “open floodgates” of similar demands in the future.
A division bench comprising Justices CV Karthikeyan and R Sakthivel had also held that it would not be appropriate to overlook the claims of numerous people already waiting for compassionate appointments in government departments.
The Supreme Court’s stay now puts that order on hold as it considers the challenge to the High Court’s decision.
