Vijay’s TVK petition SC against Madras HC order on Karur stampede

New Delhi, Oct 8 Actor-politician Vijay’s party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), has approached the Supreme Court challenging a Madras High Court order that directed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the Karur stampede -- a tragic incident that claimed 41 lives and left over 100 injured.

On Wednesday, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) agreed to list TVK’s plea, filed through authorised representative Aadhav Arjuna, for hearing on October 10, after it was mentioned for urgent listing.

In an order passed on September 3, the Madras High Court had criticised the political leadership of TVK for abandoning their followers in the aftermath of the deadly incident. “Shockingly, the programme organisers, including the leader of the political party, absconded from the venue, abandoning their own cadres, followers, and fans. There is neither remorse, nor responsibility, nor even an expression of regret,” observed a single-judge Bench of Justice N. Senthilkumar.

The Madras High Court “strongly condemned the conduct of Mr Vijay, the organisers of the event and the members of the political party for fleeing from the scene of occurrence immediately after the mishaps”.

“It is incumbent upon such a party to have taken immediate steps to rescue and assist individuals caught in the stampede-like situation arising from the massive crowd in which many children, women, and several young person tragically lost their lives,” it added.

While refusing to proceed further on a petition seeking a CBI investigation, it had constituted an SIT under IPS officer Asra Garg to probe the tragic incident.

The Madras High Court had directed the SIT to conduct an impartial and time-bound investigation and submit periodic updates.

Earlier on Tuesday, CJI Gavai agreed to list on October 10 the plea filed by BJP leader Uma Anandan for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), after the matter was mentioned for urgent hearing.

The Karur stampede, one of the worst crowd-control failures in Tamil Nadu in recent years, had sent shockwaves across the country and raised serious questions about public safety at political events.

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