The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Madras High Court order that had quashed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's decision to provide government jobs to relatives of those who died in the Karur stampede last year.
A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran issued notices to the Tamil Nadu chief secretary and others while hearing a PIL challenging the government's decision.
Questioning the petitioner, the bench said, "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 Madras High Court had on July 27 struck down Vijay's order, holding that such a decision could open the floodgates for similar demands and overlook the claims of those awaiting compassionate appointments in government departments.
A division bench of Justices CV Karthikeyan and R Sakthivel had said it was not appropriate to bypass the needs of others waiting for compassionate appointments.
(With inputs from PTI)
