'Something wrong': SC questions Madras HC's handling of Karur stampede case

New Delhi, Dec 12 The Supreme Court on Friday, while examining a report from the Madras High Court's Registrar General in the Karur stampede case, remarked that “something is wrong” with the manner in which the high court dealt with the judicial proceedings arising out of the tragedy, which claimed 41 lives during a rally of actor-politician Vijay’s party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).

A Bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi directed that the Registrar General’s report, submitted in compliance with the top court’s earlier order, be shared with all parties for their response.

The observations came during the hearing of a batch of petitions seeking an independent probe into the September 27 stampede at Tamil Nadu’s Veluchamipuram.

"Something wrong is going on in the Madras High Court. This is not the right thing that is happening in the High Court,” the Justice Maheshwari-led bench remarked after perusing the sealed-cover report.

In an order passed on October 13, the Supreme Court questioned how the principal seat of the Madras High Court in Chennai passed directions constituting a Special Investigation Team (SIT) when the incident fell under the jurisdiction of the Madurai Bench.

It had also sought clarification on how such a direction could be issued in a petition that merely sought an SOP for political rallies.

The apex court had subsequently ordered a CBI probe monitored by a three-member Supervisory Committee headed by former apex court judge Justice Ajay Rastogi.

On Friday, the Justice Maheshwari-led Bench also refused to modify its earlier direction requiring that two senior IPS officers assisting Justice Rastogi on the supervisory panel "may be from the Tamil Nadu cadre, but not natives of Tamil Nadu".

The Supreme Court further chose not to modify or vacate its interim directions, even though the state government argued that its Commission of Inquiry, presently under a stay, would not interfere with the CBI investigation and would confine itself to making recommendations.

The Karur stampede -- one of the deadliest incidents in Tamil Nadu in recent years -- has raised serious questions about crowd management, safety protocols, and political accountability during large-scale public gatherings.

The CBI, operating from a temporary camp in Karur under the supervision of Justice Rastogi, has already summoned more than 300 witnesses and examined local officials, including the Karur City Police Inspector Manivannan, who had issued permission for the event.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor