The Supreme Court ordered a CBI investigation into the Karur stampede at a rally led by Tamil actor and TVK chief Vijay, resulted in 41 deaths. The court appointed former apex court judge Ajay Rastogi to lead a committee that monitor the investigation after receiving petitions for an independent inquiry.
Supreme Court order CBI investigation
The request for a CBI investigation came from Vijay’s political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), and others. They argued that the Tamil Nadu Police could not conduct a fair and impartial investigation on their own. “An independent investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court necessary to ensure fairness,” the TVK petition said.
The party objected to the high court’s decision to form a special investigation team (SIT) made up only of state police officers. They also raised concerns about a possible pre-planned conspiracy by criminals that may have led to the stampede.
What has been the legal process so far?
On 10 October, the Supreme Court reserved its order on the plea. On Tuesday, a bench headed by the Chief Justice of India agreed to hear BJP leader Uma Anandan’s petition. She is challenging the high court’s previous refusal to call for a CBI probe. Another BJP leader from Tamil Nadu, G S Mani, also filed a petition seeking a CBI investigation into the tragedy.
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