Madras High Court To Hear TVK’s Plea For CBI Probe In Karur Stampede

29th September 2025 at 12:19 PM

2 minutes read

Actor-turned-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam's legal wing has moved the Madras High Court seeking an independent investigation into the Karur stampede.

Chennai : Actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam’s legal wing has moved the Madras High Court seeking an independent investigation into the Karur stampede. It is to be noted 41 dead and over 60 injured following stampede on Saturday.

Advocates led by S Arivazhagan on Sunday made a mention before Justice M Dhandapani, urging that the matter be referred either to the CBI or to a Special Investigation Team for an independent probe. They requested the court to take up suo motu proceedings given the scale of the tragedy. According to TVK functionary Nirmal Kumar, Justice Dhandapani advised the team to formally file a petition before the Madurai Bench.

TVK’s chief and actor Vijay’s residence in Chennai came under a security sweep after he received a bomb threat, police said. Sniffer dogs and a bomb disposal squad were deployed at his Neelankarai residence, while local police reinforced the existing security cordon with at least 15 additional personnel from the area station. Adding to the legal developments, a victim of the Karur rally stampede, Senthilkannan, approached the Madras High Court seeking to restrain the state police from granting permission for any further rallies by Vijay and TVK until accountability is fixed and safety protocols are ensured.

The petitioner alleged that the tragedy was the outcome of reckless planning, gross mismanagement, and lack of crowd control measures. He pointed out that the Karur Town Police has already registered an FIR under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder and causing death by negligence. He argued that while the right to assemble is protected under the Constitution, it must be balanced with the public’s right to safety under Article 21.

TVK leaders, however, maintain that only a court-monitored or CBI-led probe can ensure impartiality. Monday’s hearing at the Madurai Bench is expected to decide the way forward. Sources said the Tamil Nadu government advised Vijay and his senior leadership to stay away from Karur Government Hospital on Sunday, fearing that their presence could worsen the tense situation and create further crowding.

Party sources said the actor-politician is in deep shock and has not eaten since the tragedy. He is expected to meet families of the victims after Monday’s court hearing and only after obtaining permission from authorities. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had called him to express condolences and concern over the incident. Rahul Gandhi also called TVK president Vijay to convey his condolences for his supporters death in the same incident.

The Tamil Nadu government’s Fact Check Unit on Monday said in a post on X: There was no power cut at the event. Although the TVK party had requested a power supply interruption, no such power cut occurred. The brief dimming of a few lights was solely due to a generator issue in the party’s arrangements.” The district collector and the ADGP also issued similar clarifications.