Karur Stampede: Supreme Court Refuses To Entertain DMK Plea Against CM Vijay's Meetings With Victims' Families
The Supreme Court refused to entertain a DMK leader's plea seeking to restrain Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay from meeting the families of Karur stampede victims during the ongoing CBI investigation
The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to entertain an application filed by DMK leader R.S. Bharathi seeking to restrain Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay and other accused persons from meeting the families of victims of the Karur stampede, observing that the Court could not be converted into a forum for political disputes while a CBI investigation was underway.
An oral mentioning was made before a Vacation Bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Sheel Nagu by senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, appearing for DMK organising secretary R.S. Bharathi. “There is an attempt to influence material witnesses while the CBI investigation ordered by Your Lordships is on,” Ahmadi submitted.
An impleadment application has been filed in the Special Leave Petition (SLP) in which the Supreme Court, through its October 13, 2025 order, had transferred the investigation into the September 27, 2025 Karur stampede to the CBI. The probe is being monitored by a committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ajay Rastogi.
As persons originally charge-sheeted are now members of the Tamil Nadu Cabinet after the 2026 Assembly elections, the application states that "an accused holding public office cannot set a narrative especially when the investigation is going on," alleging that the comments were intended to influence the court-monitored probe. It also states that a separate contempt petition is proposed against the minister.
Noting that CM Vijay is expected to visit Karur around July 10 to distribute compassionate appointments and other assistance to families of those killed and injured, the plea contends that the victims' families are material witnesses in the CBI investigation and that direct interaction with them by those connected to the case or members of the political executive could raise concerns over the fairness of the investigation.
The application filed by DMK Organising Secretary R.S. Bharathi, stems from public statements allegedly made by Minister Arjuna, who is the Cabinet Minister for Public Works and Sports Development, against former Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in connection with the stampede. As per the DMK, Arjuna’s statements made on July 2 intended to shift the blame of the stampede onto Stalin, who was the Chief Minister at the time of the tragedy. The statements, in substance, allegedly claim that the previous DMK government had “killed Karur people” through police action on the gathered crowd at the rally.
The application has accordingly also sought a direction to the CBI to register a complaint and proceed against the public statements made by Arjuna for “influencing, tampering with witnesses and impeding with the investigation”.
Last year, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by actor and party chief Vijay, had approached the Supreme Court seeking an independent probe under the supervision of a former Apex Court judge into the September 27 stampede at its rally in Tamil Nadu’s Karur district, which claimed 41 lives and injured several others. TVK had challenged the Madras High Court’s order forming a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by the Inspector General of Police. The petition argues that the High Court itself questioned the independence of the state police but nevertheless directed a probe by senior police officers from the same force.
Supreme Court has last year constituted a three-member committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ajay Rastogi to oversee the investigation. To ensure transparency and allay concerns of all parties, the Court had 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 had also 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.”
A stampede occurred on 27 September 2025 at a political rally in Karur, organized by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and addressed by actor-politician Vijay. As per media reports, overcrowding, inadequate crowd-control measures, and a surge toward Vijay's campaign vehicle led to a crush in which dozens were trampled or suffocated.