The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear a petition challenging the Madras High Court’s refusal to order a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the fatal stampede at actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam founder Vijay's political rally in Karur on September 27. The tragedy claimed 41 lives and injured over 60 people.
A bench comprising Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran took note of the appeal filed by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Uma Anandan, who is seeking the CBI investigation. A lawyer representing the petitioner informed the bench that the plea for a CBI inquiry had been dismissed by the High Court, despite a single judge expressing dissatisfaction with the initial police probe into the stampede.
The Chief Justice responded briefly, stating: "List [it] on Friday," scheduling the matter to be heard on October 10.
The Supreme Court listing follows the Madras High Court’s decision on October 3 to dismiss the BJP leader's plea for a CBI probe, instead directing her to approach the Madurai bench. Crucially, the principal bench of the High Court had already ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by senior IPS officer and Inspector General, North Zone, Asra Garg, to investigate the incident.
The High Court had also severely criticised the organisers of the rally, the TVK leadership, and the police over the stampede, which resulted in the deaths of multiple women and children.
Police noted that the rally saw an attendance of 27,000 people, nearly three times the expected crowd of 10,000 participants. Authorities also attributed the tragedy partly to a seven-hour delay by Vijay in reaching the venue.
Meanwhile, actor-politician Vijay began reaching out to the families of the Karur stampede victims through WhatsApp video calls and assured them of his support.
The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party chief, who has been facing flak from certain sections for not visiting the affected families in person, had made the video calls on October 6 evening, one of the affected families said.
"He made the call to my son-in-law and expressed his heartfelt condolences. He expressed his regret over the incident and said it should not have happened. Also, he assured the family of his support," he told the media in Karur.
Speaking to another family, Vijay consoled the woman saying, "I am like your son".
A source in TVK said it was not clear if Vijay would visit Karur. "But he has asked the party members to reach out to the affected families," he said.
Additionally, Vijay is preparing a major overhaul of the organisation, with a focus on improving event safety. Party insiders say Vijay is working on a comprehensive restructuring plan that includes the creation of a dedicated volunteer force and the nurturing of a new tier of second-line leadership to strengthen the party ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
Also read: SIT begins probe into Vijay's rally stampede in Karur
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