The Supreme Court on Friday refused to modify its earlier order suspending the Tamil Nadu government’s one-man enquiry commission and the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to probe the Karur stampede that claimed 41 lives, stressing that the investigation must be “fair and impartial.”
A Bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi declined to entertain the State’s plea seeking permission for the commission to function alongside the CBI probe. “We want everything to be fair and impartial,” the Bench told senior advocate P. Wilson, appearing for the Tamil Nadu government.
The Court also took a critical view of a report submitted by the Registrar General of the Madras High Court, observing, “There is something wrong going on in the High Court. This is not a right thing that is happening in the High Court.”
On October 13, the Supreme Court ordered a CBI investigation into the Karur stampede, which occurred on September 27 during a rally of actor-politician Vijay’s party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). The Court described the incident as one that had “shaken the national conscience” and required an independent and impartial probe.
In the same order, passed on a plea filed by TVK seeking an independent investigation, the Court suspended the Madras High Court’s directions for constituting an SIT and appointing a one-man enquiry commission. It also set up a three-member supervisory committee, headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ajay Rastogi, to oversee the CBI investigation.
The apex court had earlier criticised Justice N. Senthilkumar of the Madras High Court for entertaining petitions related to the incident, ordering an SIT probe, and making adverse observations against TVK and its members without impleading them as parties.
During Friday’s hearing, Wilson submitted that the State’s commission would not interfere with the CBI investigation and would limit itself to making recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The Bench, however, asked him to read the notification appointing the commission and declined to vacate or modify its interim order of October 13. No notice was issued on the State’s plea.
Justice Maheshwari noted that the Registrar General of the Madras High Court had submitted a report explaining how a writ petition seeking standard operating procedures (SOPs) for political rallies came to be registered as a criminal writ petition.
“We have seen the Registrar General’s report. We will deal with it,” the Bench said, indicating that the issue would be examined further.
Wilson and senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, also appearing for the State, sought a copy of the Registrar General’s report, stating that they wished to file a response.
The Supreme Court issued notice on a fresh plea filed by one K.K. Ramesh concerning the Karur stampede and directed the parties to complete pleadings. The matter has been posted for final hearing.
On October 30, the Court had asked a victim’s family to approach the CBI with allegations that State officials had threatened and cajoled them. At the time, the Bench had observed that no further orders were required on the interlocutory applications, except to permit the petitioner to move the CBI.
While ordering the CBI probe earlier, the Supreme Court had noted the political undertone surrounding the case and expressed concern over comments made by senior police officers to the media, observing that such statements could create doubts about the impartiality of the investigation.
The Court also underscored that the stampede had wide ramifications for the right to life and the fundamental rights of the families who lost their relatives.
According to police, the rally saw a turnout of around 27,000 people, nearly three times the expected crowd of 10,000. Authorities had attributed the tragedy to overcrowding and cited a delay of nearly seven hours in Vijay’s arrival at the venue.
