Madras High Court Notice To Centre, Tamil Nadu On Plea To Add TVK's Vijay As Accused In Stampede Case

The Madras High Court today sent notices to the Election Commission of India, Tamil Nadu government, and the state top cop on a Public Interest Litigation seeking to alter the FIR in the Karur stampede case and include actor-politician Vijay, chief of the Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), as an accused. 

The petition also seeks a ban on involving children in political rallies and a direction to evolve standard operating procedures for political gatherings.

The Bench of Chief Justice MM Srivastava and Justice G Arulmurugan, before which the case came up, directed that the plea be listed along with similar petitions seeking guidelines for political roadshows. The Bench said all such petitions will be heard together by a special division to be constituted based on the Supreme Court's directions following the Karur tragedy.

The Election Commission informed the court that actor Vijay's TVK is not a recognised political party under the Representation of the People Act, and hence the plea to derecognise the party does not arise.

The petition, filed by Madurai-based advocate C Selvakumar, seeks directions to the Karur Town Police to invoke stricter penal sections, including IPC Sections 304A, 336-338, Sections 75 and 83 of the Juvenile Justice Act, and Section 3 of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, against Vijay and other organisers. 

The petitioner has accused the police of deliberately omitting Vijay's name and invoking milder charges that would allow the accused to "escape the clutches of law".

The petition also urges the court to restrain the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) from granting permission for any political rallies or roadshows until the case is disposed of and to direct the Election Commission to enforce the prohibition on using women and minors in political events, citing the Bombay High Court's 2014 ruling in Chetan Ramlal Bhutada vs State of Maharashtra.

The petitioner blamed the tragedy on "negligence and mismanagement" by Vijay and his organisers, pointing to the seven-hour delay, lack of food, water, and toilets, and alleged violations of police instructions. The plea also seeks Rs 1 crore compensation for each victim, to be recovered from the political leadership.

The devastating stampede on September 27 in Karur killed 41 people, including nine children and several women. 

Two TVK district secretaries, including Mathiyazhagan, have already been arrested.

The Supreme Court has since ordered a CBI probe monitored by a retired judge, and the agency's team has arrived in Karur and is expected to take over the investigation.

While the police have blamed the tragedy on Vijay's delayed arrival, violations and lack of food and water for the crowd, the TVK has denied all allegations, blaming it instead on police failure and alleging a politically motivated conspiracy by the ruling DMK - a charge the government has firmly rejected.