Calling it a case of “irresponsible leadership”, the Madras High Court came down heavily on Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and its leader Joseph Vijay over the Karur stampede that claimed 41 lives. The court criticised the party for abandoning its followers and failing to take responsibility for the tragedy, while ordering a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe and rejecting pleas for a CBI investigation.
Justice Senthilkumar of the Madras High Court observed, “This court could not understand how the political party that organised the event abandoned the scene of occurrence immediately after the incident. The fateful occurrence resulted in the loss of 41 lives. Unfortunately, the organisers, right from the leader, disappeared from the scene of occurrence. They vanished, leaving their own followers and fans in the lurch.”
Terming it an act of gross negligence, the judge said such irresponsible behaviour from any leader or organisation “cannot be taken lightly”, and added that “the court owes its responsibility towards its citizens. It is unfortunate to record such a leadership quality.”
The remarks came while hearing a plea filed by P.H. Dinesh, seeking to restrain the Tamil Nadu Home Secretary and DGP from granting permission for roadshows to Vijay’s TVK or any other political parties until guidelines or SOPs are framed for such events.
Justice Senthilkumar further condemned the act of the TVK leaders for leaving behind innocent fans and followers who had gathered at the venue in Veluswamypuram. He said the party should have stayed back to help and console the injured and the families of the deceased.
Coming down heavily on TVK leader Joseph Vijay and his colleagues for abandoning their cadres and followers, the judge cited two instances involving Vijay’s campaign vehicle, which did not stop even after hitting the bikes of his accompanying cadres. The court ordered the registration of a hit-and-run case against Joseph Vijay.
Justice Senthilkumar said, “This court highly condemns such an attitude of the party (TVK) in abandoning its cadres and followers immediately after the stampede. There was not even a remorseful sense of feeling expressed by the party in taking responsibility for organising such an event. This only shows the mental state of the leader and the party at large.”
Ordering the constitution of an SIT, the court stated, “The SIT shall be headed by Asra Garg, IG of Police (North Zone), and comprise Vimla, Superintendent of Police, Namakkal district, and Shyamaladevi, SP. In addition, Asra Garg is at liberty to select additional team members under any category/designation as he deems fit. All the available CCTV camera footage from the place of the incident, particularly the footage inside and outside the bus carrying the leaders of the political party, shall be seized.”
The judge added, “It was also witnessed by every one of us on the television that the bus carrying the leader was involved in an accident with two motorcycles. Both the driver and the leader saw the accident but left the place without stopping. In both cases, the police have not registered an FIR for hit and run. This court expresses its deep anguish and agony that even if no complaint is filed by the aggrieved, the state has suo motu responsibility to register a case and bring the perpetrators of the crime on record and make them face trial.”
The Madras High Court’s order on October 3 directed a probe by the SIT into the Karur stampede, rejecting the plea to hand over the case to the CBI. It also ordered the DGP to investigate the controversial tweets of TVK general secretary Adhav Arjuna, who had called for a “Gen Z-type protest” in Tamil Nadu similar to those that took place in Nepal and Sri Lanka.
கரூர் கூட்ட நெரிசல் வழக்கில், அனுமதி முதல் வசதிகள் வரை, @arivalayam அரசின் பொறுப்பற்ற நிர்வாகத்தை மதுரை உயர் நீதிமன்றம் கேள்விக்கணைகளால் துளைத்தது. pic.twitter.com/3u5EIflj30
— BJP Tamilnadu (@BJP4TamilNadu) October 4, 2025
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court also rejected the plea for a CBI probe and dismissed the anticipatory bail pleas of TVK general secretary Bussy N Anand and joint general secretary C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar. A division bench comprising Justice M. Dhandapani and M. Jothiraman said, “The investigation is in a nascent stage, and no allegations have been raised either with regard to the manner of the probe or any interference, if any, by the state government or its machinery.”
The court was hearing a PIL seeking a CBI probe into the September 27 stampede. It ordered the Karur Town Inspector of Police to hand over to the SIT all papers related to the FIR filed against Anand and Nirmal Kumar on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Justice Jothiraman said, “Considering the role of the petitioners, the nature and gravity of the offence, the fact that the investigation is at a preliminary stage, and that some of the injured persons are still receiving treatment in hospitals, the court is not inclined to grant anticipatory bail to the petitioners. The role of the event organisers and the role of the police are crucial in this case.”
BJP MP Anurag Thakur, one of the members of the NDA’s eight-MP team led by Hema Malini, has written to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin asking the concerned officers to furnish a report on the Karur stampede that killed 41 people. In the letter dated October 1, Thakur asked for a report covering the primary reasons for the incident, crowd management measures, and cause analysis. He sought detailed information on the primary factors and the sequence of events that led to the stampede, the arrangements and precautionary measures taken by the administration and law enforcement agencies to regulate and manage the crowd, and the lapses or unforeseen circumstances that contributed to the tragedy despite preventive actions. He also stated that serious questions were in the people’s minds regarding the reasons and circumstances that led to the unfortunate incident.
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