New Delhi: The Supreme Court has agreed to hear on Friday a plea filed by actor Vijay’s political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), through its General Secretary Aadhav Arjuna. The plea seeks an impartial investigation into the Karur stampede by a panel led by a retired top-court judge.
The plea, filed through advocates Dixita Gohil, Pranjal Agarwal, and Yash S Vijay, challenges the Madras High Court’s October 3 order constituting a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by the Inspector General of Police to probe the tragic stampede.
The petitioners contend that despite the High Court’s categorical observation doubting the independence of the police probe, the court directed the constitution of an SIT comprising solely of three senior officers from the Tamil Nadu Police.
“The Petitioner-party as well as its leaders are prejudiced by the order which appoints an SIT composed solely of officers of the State Police, especially in the face of the observations of the Hon’ble High Court expressing its dissatisfaction with the independence of State Police and its conduct, and prejudicial factual findings against the Petitioner,” the plea states.
It further argues that a pre-planned conspiracy by certain miscreants to create trouble at the rally site cannot be ruled out as a cause of the stampede. Therefore, an independent probe where contesting points of fact can be examined is necessary.
Additionally, the plea points out that certain strong observations made by the High Court against TVK have caused severe prejudice to the party and its office-bearers. It argues that the court’s observations and directions were issued in violation of the principles of natural justice and fair trial, without conducting any factual inquiry, verifying evidence, or giving TVK officials a chance to be heard.
Specifically, the plea challenges the High Court’s observation condemning TVK leadership members for allegedly “fleeing from the scene of occurrence” and failing to render assistance to the public. According to the plea, such observations are factually incorrect, misleading, and contrary to the record.
“The contemporaneous sequence of events clearly establishes that, upon receiving information that certain individuals had fainted during the event, the Petitioner’s leadership and Party cadre took immediate and coordinated steps to ensure medical aid and relief were provided without delay,” the plea asserts.
The Madras High Court had on October 3 ordered the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by the Inspector General of Police to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the stampede that claimed 41 lives and left many injured.
The court also prohibited political rallies, roadshows, and similar public events along state and national highways in Tamil Nadu until Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are formulated.
The High Court strongly criticised TVK party workers for failing to rescue the public left for dead during the incident, while also questioning the State government’s lenient approach in holding the event organisers liable.
*(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ’s editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)*
https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/supreme-court-to-hear-tvk-party-plea-on-karur-stampede-probe-seeks-independent-investigation