BREAKING| TVK Approaches Madras High Court Seeking Independent Probe Into Karur Stampede, Alleges Conspiracy

The Madras High Court has allowed an urgent mention made by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party seeking a suo motu cognisance into the stampede that took place in Karur District of Tamil Nadu during a political rally organised and headed by Actor Vijay yesterday. 

Justice Dhandapani has accepted the urgent motion made by the party's counsels. The case is likely to be taken up tomorrow at the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court. It may be noted that the High Court is closed for the week for Puja holidays. 

The party has alleged that there are some conspiracies in connection with the incident that took place and is seeking a suo motu probe or a probe by an independent agency.

The party has been conducting political rallies every weekend at different parts of Tamil Nadu as part of its campaign for the upcoming assembly elections. A similar rally conducted in Karur yesterday, however, took a drastic turn when the gathering triggered a stampede. 39 people have died and many have been injured in the incident. 

It may be noted that in August, the party had moved a petition before the High Court seeking directions to the Director General of Police to instruct all his subordinate officers to grant permissions for conducting political campaigns by the party, considering their representations in a fair, uniform, and non-discriminatory manner within a time frame fixed by the court. 

When the matter was taken up, the court raised concerns over accountability if an untoward incident takes place during the rallies. The court had directed the State to frame rules asking political parties to make a deposit at the time of seeking police permissions, which would then be utilised for payment of compensation in case of damage to public property. The court had also orally remarked that Vijay, being the head of the party, should ensure that its meetings are conducted in a lawful manner, without any damage. The court also remarked that Vijay could set an example for others by asking pregnant women and differently abled people not to participate in the meeting, for their own well-being.