‘Court Can’t Close Its Eyes’: Madras HC Orders SIT Probe Into Karur Stampede, Slams TVK Leaders
The Madras High Court on Friday ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the tragic Karur stampede that claimed 41 lives, delivering scathing remarks about the conduct of the leaders of actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party. The SIT, to be headed by senior IPS officer Asra Garg, has been tasked with uncovering the lapses that led to the “huge man-made disaster” and identifying those responsible.The order came from a single bench of Justice N Senthilkumar, who was hearing a petition questioning why Vijay’s name was not included in the FIR.
The judge came down heavily on the TVK leadership, observing that they had “abandoned the scene of occurrence” and failed to take moral or legal responsibility. Criticizing the party for not even expressing remorse over the incident, Justice Senthilkumar remarked, “This shows the mental state of the leader.”
He added that “the court cannot close its eyes and shirk its responsibilities” in the face of such a tragedy.In a parallel development, a separate division bench of the court, comprising Justice M Dhandapani and Justice M Jothiraman, dismissed a series of petitions seeking a CBI probe into the stampede.
The bench noted that the state police investigation was still in its initial stage and that the petitioners were political entities, not the aggrieved victims. “Don’t treat this court as the political arena,” the bench observed, telling the petitioners to approach the court later if they found flaws in the police investigation.The court also issued directives for the future, instructing all political parties to ensure proper arrangements for drinking water and sanitation at rallies.
Following this, the Tamil Nadu government informed the court that it would not permit any large gatherings or rallies near state or national highways until new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are formally established.
