The Madras High Court, on October 27, gave the Tamil Nadu government ten days to prepare a draft standard operating procedure (SOP) for road shows conducted by political parties. The draft SOP must be submitted before the court on November 11.
A bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Srivastava and G Arul Murugan issued the direction while hearing a number of petitions relating to the 41 deaths that occurred at a stampede during actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) rally in Karur.
The court also told the state government to process applications for permission in a timely manner so that parties have ample time to make safety arrangements. The court instructed the state to seek suggestions from other parties, including the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), regarding SOP guidelines.
The Tamil Nadu government said in court that the formulation of guidelines should be done after consulting the police, corporation, fire department, medical department, etc., and sought appropriate time to do so.
The Tamil Nadu government also said that until an SOP was notified, no party would be given permission to hold roadshows. Additional Advocate General G Ravindran, appearing for the state government, clarified that there was no impediment for the political parties to conduct meetings at designated places, and the bar was only on meetings on state and national highways.
Senior Advocate Raghavachari, representing the TVK, told the court that the party had approached the court seeking permission to conduct the meeting back in August but that permissions had been delayed, putting constraints on the party’s ability to plan for the event properly.
The AAG, however, countered that TVK had sought permission for the September 27 meeting only on September 25.
Raghavachari also alleged that police constraints were not imposed for all parties and were applied selectively. He added that such restrictions be officially notified on the police website.