'Who're you?' Court refuses CBI probe into Vijay rally stampede
What's the story
The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court has refused to order a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the stampede at actor-turned-politician Vijay's rally in Karur. The incident, which occurred on September 27 left 41 people dead and dozens injured. The court observed that the Tamil Nadu Police is still probing the matter and that the petitions were brought by those who were not directly affected by the stampede.
Remarks
'Don't treat this court as political arena'
"If aggrieved persons come to this court, we will rescue. Who are you? Don't treat this court as the political arena. If, in the investigation, something goes wrong, you come. This is the initial stage," a bench of Justices M Dhandapani and M Jothiraman said. The bench further took note of the state government's submission that no demonstrations or meetings will be permitted near state or national roadways until Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are established in that regard.
Rally regulations
HC issues interim orders for political rallies
The court then directed that basic facilities such as drinking water, toilets, ambulances, exit paths, escape routes, and parking facilities be ensured for attendees at all rallies. The Madras High Court's Madurai Bench issued the directives while hearing more than a dozen petitions filed in the aftermath of the Karur disaster. While one set of petitions requested a CBI investigation, the other requested the framing of standard operating procedures for all meetings. The third group of petitions sought increased compensation.
Compensation response
Notices issued to TN government, TVK
The court issued notices regarding petitions seeking enhanced compensation for victims' families, asking the Tamil Nadu government and Vijay's party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), to respond within two weeks. The TVK had independently announced ₹20 lakh compensation for victims' families and ₹2 lakh for the injured. Separately, the Tamil Nadu government announced ₹10 lakh assistance for the families of the deceased.
Incident fallout
FIR filed against TVK functionaries
According to reports, the TVK rally in Veluswamypuram, Karur district, was allowed for around 10,000 people but had an estimated turnout of 25,000 to 60,000. Many people arrived early, waiting for hours in scorching circumstances without enough water or toilets. The situation was aggravated by restricted roadways, power outages, insufficient crowd control, and escape routes obstructed by ropes, barricades, and hoardings. An FIR was filed against several TVK functionaries (excluding Vijay) on charges including culpable homicide not amounting to murder.