New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India will make a big decision about a group of petitions asking for an independent investigation into the terrible Karur stampede on Today, October 13, that happened during a political rally for actor-politician Vijay’s party, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
At 10:30 a.m., Justices J.K. Maheshwari and N.V. Anjaria will make a decision that will decide what happens next in the investigation into the September tragedy that killed 41 people and hurt many more. In Tamil Nadu, the rally in Karur was one of the biggest crowd-control disasters in recent years.
The TVK is asking the Madras High Court to change its mind about an earlier decision that said the case could not be transferred to a central agency. Instead, the court set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) made up of senior officials from the Tamil Nadu Police. The party, along with other petitioners like the families of the dead victims, is worried that an investigation led only by state police personnel would not be fair and unbiased.
Request for Independent Review:
TVK’s Stand: The TVK, which is led by actor Vijay, has asked that a former Supreme Court judge oversee the investigation to make sure it is fair. They have also said that an independent investigation is needed because it is possible that “certain miscreants planned to cause trouble at the site.”
CBI Demand: Other petitions, such as those from a BJP leader and several families of victims, have asked for the entire inquiry to be handed over to the Central Bureau of inquiry (CBI).
The TVK’s appeal also takes issue with the Madras High Court’s comments that supposedly criticized the party’s leadership, including Vijay, for “fleeing from the scene” and leaving their followers behind. The TVK says these comments are not true and are harmful.
Concerns of the Court: The Supreme Court itself had raised procedural issues with the Madras High Court’s order during the last hearing. For example, how could a single judge bench in Chennai order a SIT investigation when a division bench in Madurai was already aware of related matters and the original petition only asked for a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for political rallies?
Senior lawyers for the state government have said that they don’t want a CBI investigation because the High Court set up the SIT and the state has no stake in the matter. They further say that the officers who were chosen are recognized for their honesty.
People are very interested in the ruling today because it will decide whether the state-appointed SIT will keep looking into the stampede or whether it will be handed over to a Central agency or an independent group that is watched by a court.