New Delhi: In a major political and legal development, the Supreme Court has ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the probe into the Karur stampede tragedy, where 41 people died during a rally for actor Vijay’s political party, Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK). The verdict is being seen as a significant setback for the Tamil Nadu government and a major relief for Vijay’s nascent political outfit.
The court has also appointed a three-member committee, headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ajay Rastogi, to monitor the CBI investigation to ensure its fairness and transparency.
The crucial order was passed by a bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and N.V. Anjaria while hearing petitions filed by the TVK and several families of the victims. The petitioners had expressed a lack of faith in the Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the state, arguing that an inquiry involving the state police would be biased. Accepting this argument, the Supreme Court disbanded the SIT that was earlier constituted by the Madras High Court.
During the proceedings, the Supreme Court had previously questioned the Madras High Court’s jurisdiction in forming a special investigation team while hearing a plea for general guidelines on preventing crowd disasters. Lawyers for TVK argued in court that Vijay had left the rally venue on the instructions of the police and that remarks by the High Court suggesting he had fled were unwarranted. The decision for a central agency to investigate is a significant win for the TVK’s legal and political strategy.
