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The Supreme Court, on Monday, October 13, suspended the one-man Commission and the special investigation team (SIT) formed by the Tamil Nadu government to probe the stampede which took place during Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief Vijay’s rally in Karur. The deadly stampede resulted in the death of 41 individuals including nine children.
As the case has been transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Commission headed by retired judge Aruna Jagadeesan shall be suspended, the court said.
The deadly stampede will be probed by the CBI three-member committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ajay Rastogi.
In its detailed order, a Bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and NV Anjaria besides suspending the Aruna Jagadeesan commission, also dissolved the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Madras High Court, pending the CBI probe.
“In view of transferring the investigation to the CBI, the direction for appointment of SIT or one-man enquiry commission shall remain suspended,” the court said. It said that a “completely impartial, independent and unbiased” investigation is necessary into the stampede to restore the “faith and trust” of the public in the criminal justice system.
The Supreme Court’s order came after multiple petitions, including those filed by victims’ families and the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party, challenging the contradictory orders passed by the Madurai and Madras Benches of the Madras High Court.
The court also criticised the manner in which the single judge of Madras HC had expanded the scope of writ petition seeking standard operating procedures (SOPs) for political rallies to suo motu direct a criminal investigation by an SIT.
The top court also questioned how the Madras bench could have entertained a criminal writ petition relating to an incident in Karur, which lies under the jurisdiction of Madurai bench.
“It is not understandable to us... when prayers were made for transfer of investigation to the CBI, the Division Bench at Madurai was cognisant of the same and observed that the investigation was at a nascent stage and no flaw had been brought. In stark contradiction, the Single Judge, suo motu, without referring to any document, recorded dissatisfaction with the progress of the investigation,” the bench said.
The court noted that such actions displayed a “lack of sensitivity and propriety” and resulted in an unnecessary multiplicity of proceedings. It also sought an explanation from the Registrar General of the Madras HC on how the writ petition seeking SOPs was registered as a criminal writ petition.
The Bench observed that the political overtones of the tragedy and the public statements by top police officials defending subordinates had “created doubts in the minds of the public about the impartiality and independence of the investigation.”
The apex court directed the CBI to submit its monthly progress reports to the three-member Supervisory Committee headed by former SC judge Justice Ajay Rastogi, and that the investigation be completed “as expeditiously as possible, within the statutory timeframe.”
Justice Rastogi is asked to nominate two senior IPS officers of the Tamil Nadu cadre, not natives of the state, to serve on the panel.
Following the order, all materials collected by the Tamil Nadu police, the SIT, and the suspended one-man commission led by Justice Aruna Jagadeesan are to be handed over to the CBI immediately. The Court also directed that the pending petition on SOPs before the High Court’s Chennai Bench be assigned by the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court to a Division Bench for further hearing.
The Karur stampede, which occurred on September 27, 2025, during a TVK rally led by actor-politician Joseph Vijay, left 41 people dead and over 100 injured. Most of the victims were women and children. The tragedy has since sparked intense legal and political debate in Tamil Nadu over crowd management and police accountability.