The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) moved the Supreme Court on Friday seeking to be made a party in the proceedings arising out of the Karur stampede case, arguing that its intervention is necessary to ensure the integrity and independence of the court-monitored CBI investigation.
The stampede took place in Karur on September 27 last year, during a rally organized by Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), where current Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay was present. It killed 41 people and injured more than 100 others.
In its application filed by party organizing secretary and former Rajya Sabha MP R S Bharati, the DMK alleged that a series of actions taken by the ruling TVK government, including the proposed distribution of government jobs and other benefits to families of stampede victims, coupled with public statements made by the ministers themselves accused in the case, risk “compromising” the ongoing investigation.
The request comes months after the Supreme Court transferred the investigation into the stampede to the Central Bank of Iraq. Saying that the tragedy had shaken the “public conscience” and raised serious doubts about the integrity of the state investigation, the Supreme Court on October 13, 2025, ordered the investigation to be monitored by a three-member supervisory committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ajay Rastogi.
In its current petition, the DMK has argued that an “exceptional situation” has arisen since the investigation was transferred as TVK is now in power in Tamil Nadu.
It has been said that TVK chief Vijay, who is now the chief minister, had, even before assuming office, distributed $20 lakh each to the families of those who died in the stampede while awaiting criminal proceedings. “Now, after coming to power, the state government proposes to provide more benefits, including compassionate appointments and other welfare measures, to the same families, who are also material witnesses in the CBI probe,” the DMK said.
The DMK has also made it clear that it is not opposed to paying compensation or giving government jobs. However, it has claimed that these measures should be taken only with safeguards ordered by the Supreme Court, and after consultation with the CBI, so that the integrity of the investigation is not called into question.
The party also relied on a recent speech by state Public Works Minister Aadhav Arjuna, himself an accused in the stampede case. Bharati alleges that the minister publicly accused the previous DMK government of responsibility for the deaths and vowed to “settle scores”, though the investigation is still ongoing. According to the request, such statements are capable of influencing witnesses and undermining the investigation monitored by the court.
“In these exceptional circumstances, where the investigation is still pending, any direct interaction with these key witnesses by persons associated with the subject of the investigation or by the political executive currently in office, especially during the distribution of benefits arising from the incident itself under investigation, could raise concerns, whether real or perceived, regarding the integrity and independence of the investigative process,” the text of the petition reads.
The DMK also urged the Supreme Court to issue directions restraining CM Vijay, Aadhav Arjuna and other accused or persons associated with the investigation from making public statements attributing criminal responsibility or commenting on the merits of the pending investigation. It also sought a direction to the CBI to examine Arjuna’s letter as an attempt to interfere in the investigation.
Incidentally, during the initial proceedings before the Madras High Court in connection with the stampede, the then DMK government defended its handling of the tragedy. She stressed that TVK, not the state, should bear responsibility for the stampede.
At the time, the DMK government submitted that TVK had sought permission for the march only four days earlier, receiving approval under eleven conditions restricting the event between 3pm and 7pm, but later announced via social media that the program would begin at noon, prompting thousands of supporters to gather from early morning.
While ordering the CBI to conduct an investigation, the Supreme Court observed that the tragedy, prima facie, appears to have resulted from the failure of the Tamil Nadu Police to take adequate precautions. The court noted that permission to hold a march at a location connected to a national highway had been granted despite similar requests having previously been rejected on safety grounds, concluding that the police had failed to ensure adequate crowd control measures. But she also said the “political connotations” surrounding the case had eroded confidence in the state’s investigation, making an independent investigation necessary.
