DMK Moves Supreme Court Against TN Minister's Statements On Karur Stampede, Objects To CM Vijay Meeting Families

The Organising Secretary of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), R.S. Bharathi, has moved the Supreme Court seeking to be impleaded in the pending proceedings relating to the Karur stampede case, urging the Court to restrain Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, TN Minister Aadhav Arjuna and other accused persons from making public statements on the ongoing CBI investigation and to regulate their interaction with victims' families during the pendency of the probe.

The application has been filed in the Special Leave Petition in which the Supreme Court had, by its order dated October 13, 2025, transferred the investigation into the September 27, 2025 Karur stampede to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under the supervision of a committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ajay Rastogi.

The stampede occurred during a public meeting organised by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), resulting in the death of 41 persons and injuries to 142 others. According to the impleadment application, the State's preliminary investigation attributed the tragedy to several factors, including alleged under-declaration of the expected crowd, mobilisation of cadres beyond the declared numbers, delayed arrival of TVK leader Vijay, failure to provide basic amenities, disregard of police safety instructions, and movement of the campaign vehicle into an already overcrowded venue.

Seeks restraint on statements by accused

The applicant points out that several persons who were initially charge-sheeted in the case are now members of the Tamil Nadu Cabinet following the 2026 Assembly elections, and that the CBI has questioned Chief Minister Vijay and several other TVK leaders in connection with the investigation, which is still continuing.

A major grievance raised in the application concerns a public statement allegedly made on July 2, 2026 by Tamil Nadu Minister Aadhav Arjuna, who is also an accused in the case. Referring to the Minister's remarks that there was "a score to settle" over the Karur incident and his allegation that the previous DMK government had "killed Karur people through the police," Bharathi argued that such statements were intended to influence the ongoing Court-monitored investigation.

The application alleges that an accused holding public office "cannot set a narrative especially when the investigation is going on," and that the speech was calculated to prejudice the investigation and create a public perception regarding responsibility for the incident. It further states that a separate contempt petition is being proposed against the Minister.

Objection to interaction with witnesses

The plea also refers to reports that Chief Minister Vijay is scheduled to visit Karur around July 10 to distribute government orders, compassionate appointments and other benefits to the families of the deceased and injured victims.

While clarifying that it has no objection to the State extending ex gratia assistance or welfare measures, the DMK leader argued that the victims' families are also material witnesses in the CBI investigation. The application contends that direct interaction with such witnesses by persons connected with the subject matter of the investigation or by members of the political executive could create a reasonable apprehension regarding the fairness of the probe.

The application also points out that Vijay had earlier distributed ₹20 lakh each to the families of the deceased and ₹2 lakh each to injured victims in October 2025, when the criminal proceedings were pending. It argues that, taken together with the proposed distribution of government benefits after assuming office and the public statements made by an accused Minister, these developments warrant judicial safeguards to preserve the integrity of the investigation.

Among the reliefs sought, Bharathi has prayed for directions restraining Vijay, Aadhav Arjuna, Bussy Anand, C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar and other accused persons from making public statements attributing criminal liability or commenting on the merits of the pending investigation.

The application also seeks a direction that government benefits to victims' families be disbursed only in accordance with safeguards approved by the Supreme Court and after placing the proposed course of action before the CBI, so that the evidence of material witnesses is not affected.

Additionally, Bharathi has sought a direction to the CBI to initiate proceedings against Aadhav Arjuna over his July 2 statement, alleging that it amounts to influencing witnesses and impeding the ongoing investigation.