Karur Stampede Tragedy | Madras High Court Calls Off Urgent Hearing Against Grant Of Permission For TVK Rallies
Upasana Sajeev
28 Sept 2025 5:26 PM IST
The Madras High Court has called off an urgent Sunday hearing into the tragic events at Karur, which killed multiple people attending a TVK party rally.
A victim of the stampede approached the High Court against granting any permission for the political rallies organised by actor Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party in the future.
Senior Advocate G Sankaran had sought permission from Justice N Senthilkumar to urgently hear the case on Sunday(September 28). Though the court allowed a special Sunday hearing, the plea could not be heard today as the petition was not formally filed or numbered.
Another petition filed by the party seeking an independent probe into the incident will be heard by the Madurai bench of the High Court on 29th September, 2025 (Monday).
The petitioner stated that he was personally injured in the stampede that broke out. He pointed out that when Vijay's vehicle approached the venue, the gathering, which was already overcrowded without barricading or proper police control, surged forward in an uncontrollable manner, leading to collapse of men, women, and children who were trampled and suffocated.
It was also submitted that the tragedy was not a mere accident but the direct result of reckless planning, gross mismanagement, and complete disregard for the safety of the public. The petitioner alleged that the organizers permitted the crowd to gather without restriction, failed to provide adequate barricades, and positioned the campaign vehicle in a manner that provoked a dangerous surge.
The petitioner further argued that allowing Vijay's party to conduct anymore rallies while the Karur incident was under investigation would amount to placing countless other lives at peril.
It has also been argued that the ex-gratia payment announced by the State and the appointment of one-man commission was not sufficient to address the recurring danger. It was argued that unless strict directions were issued to forbear the party from conducting rallies, tragedy of equal or greater magnitude may occur.