In its order, the Bench said, “Looking at the facts, the issue has a bearing on the fundamental rights of the citizens. The directions are to hand over the investigation to the CBI.”
To ensure transparency and allay concerns of all parties, the Court directed that the monitoring committee, apart from Justice Rastogi, would include two IPS officers from the Tamil Nadu cadre, neither of whom should be native to the state.
The Court said the committee “shall monitor the investigation of the CBI and may undertake enquiry into any matter incidental to the stampede.” It added that the committee would be free to “devise its own procedure as per the directions of the judge.”
The CBI has been directed to submit monthly progress reports on the investigation to the committee. The Court further clarified that if any issue arises during the course of the probe, liberty is granted to the parties to approach the Supreme Court.
Additionally, the Bench requested a report from the Registrar General on how the matter came to be listed as a criminal petition and directed that SOP hearings in the case be assigned to a division bench.