The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has filed a plea in the Supreme Court asking for an independent probe, led by a former top court judge, into the tragic stampede at party president and actor Vijay’s rally in Karur, Tamil Nadu, on September 27. The incident claimed 41 lives and left several others injured.
Advocates Dixita Gohil, Pranjal Agarwal, and Yash S Vijay have filed the plea challenging the October 3 Madras High Court order that set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by the Inspector General of Police, to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the incident.
According to the petition, the High Court ordered the formation of an SIT made up entirely of three senior officers from the Tamil Nadu Police, despite having questioned the independence of the police investigation into the case.
“The Petitioner-party as well as its leaders are prejudiced by the order which appoints an SIT composed solely of officers of the State Police, especially in the face of the observations of the Hon’ble High Court expressing its dissatisfaction with the independence of State Police and its conduct, and prejudicial factual findings against the Petitioner”, the plea states.
It also argues that a pre-planned conspiracy by certain miscreants to create trouble at the rally site cannot be ruled out as a cause of the stampede; thus, an independent probe where contesting points of fact can be placed is necessary in this regard.
Furthermore, the plea states that certain strong observations made by the High Court against TVK have caused severe prejudice to the political party and its office-bearers. It argues that the High Court’s observations and directions in the impugned order were made in violation of principles of natural justice and fair trial. These were issued without conducting any factual inquiry, verifying evidence, or giving the TVK or its officials a chance to be heard.
The plea specifically challenges the High Court’s observation condemning the conduct of TVK’s leadership members for allegedly “fleeing from the scene of occurrence” and failing to render assistance to the public.
As per the plea, such observations are factually incorrect, misleading and contrary to the record. “The contemporaneous sequence of events clearly establishes that, upon receiving information that certain individuals had fainted during the event, the Petitioner’s leadership and Party cadre took immediate and coordinated steps to ensure medical aid and relief were provided without delay,” the plea asserts.
The Madras High Court had on October 3 ordered the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by the Inspector General of Police to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the tragic stampede that took 41 lives and left many injured. The High Court had also prohibited political rallies, road shows and similar public events along the state and national highways in the state until Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are formulated.
The High Court strongly criticised TVK party workers for failing to rescue the public who were left for dead during the incident, while also questioning the State government for its lenient approach in holding the event organisers liable.
In a related development, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear on Friday (October 10) an appeal against the Madras High Court’s earlier dismissal of a plea seeking a CBI probe into the September 27 stampede.
