The Madras High Court today directed the Tamil Nadu government to formulate and publish Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) within 10 days for granting permission to political parties and organisations to hold public rallies across the state, granting the government additional time to finalise the norms.
Hearing a batch of petitions - now converted into public interest litigations - seeking guidelines for political rallies, the Bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan adjourned the matter to November 11. The court observed that all parties, including political outfits, may submit their suggestions to the government before the SOPs are finalised.
The directive comes a month after the tragic stampede at Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) rally in Karur that claimed 41 lives, including women and children. The petitions were filed following widespread concern over safety lapses, poor crowd control, and delayed police permissions for political events.
During the hearing, the court made strong observations on the imposition of "25 conditions" for granting permissions at short notice, questioning how any political organisation could comply with such restrictions in limited time. The Bench also asked the government why such stringent conditions appeared to target only specific political parties.
The Tamil Nadu government, in its submission, informed the court that draft guidelines were already being prepared but cited lack of cooperation from certain parties in finalising them. The government further said that permissions for rallies would henceforth be restricted to designated locations to avoid public inconvenience and traffic disruptions. It also stated that permissions would be granted only if organisers ensured basic amenities like drinking water and toilets and that no meetings would be allowed along national highways.
The government added that until the new SOPs come into force, these interim conditions would remain effective.
TVK, whose rally tragedy triggered the petitions, argued that while guidelines were necessary, the police must also be directed to grant permissions without delay. TVK counsel told the court that last-minute approvals - often just three days before events - made it impossible to make adequate safety arrangements. The party also alleged that restrictions were being imposed selectively against certain political organisations.
The state, in response, maintained that while there was no statutory timeframe for granting permissions, the new SOPs under preparation would ensure timely decisions to prevent such complaints in the future.
Coinciding with the court proceedings, TVK chief and actor Vijay met the families of the Karur stampede victims at a hotel in Mamallapuram today, where he offered his condolences and assured continued support.
Background
The hearing comes amid continued legal and political fallout over the Karur stampede, which led to a Supreme Court-monitored CBI probe.
In the past while the state police and ruling DMK had blamed Vijay's seven hour delay to have triggered a surge in crowd and his roadshow violating police permission adding up to the terrible tragedy, the TVK alleged conspiracy by the ruling party and police's failure to control crowds on the roads leading to the delay. The DMK had denied the allegations.
Vijay's statewide campaign ahead of 2026 polls remains suspended since the tragedy.
