Karur Stampede: Madras High Court Grants Bail To TVK Salem District Secy Booked For Assaulting Ambulance Driver

The Madras High Court has granted bail to N Venkatesan, Salem District Secretary of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam Party for allegedly assaulting an ambulance driver in the aftermath of the Karur Stampede last month. Justice S Srimathy ordered Vebkatesan to be released on bail by executing a surety for Rs. 10,000 on the condition that he report before the Karur Town Police Station daily at 10:30 a.m. for one week and thereafter when required. Venkatesan was arrested and remanded to judicial custody on October 9, 2025, for offences under Sections 191(2) [Rioting], 296(b) [obscene acts and songs], 115(2) [voluntarily causing hurt], 127(2) [wrongful confinement], 351(2) [criminal intimidation] of the BNS read with Section 3 of the Tamil Nadu Public Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act 1992. The prosecution's case was that on September 27, 2025, after the tragic Karur Stampede, Venkatesan and other party functionaries had assaulted an ambulance driver using their hands and also smashed the rear windshield of the ambulance while he was helping the affected persons. Venkatesan submitted that he was an innocent person and had not committed any offences as alleged by the prosecution. He also submitted that he had been in judicial custody since October 9, 2025. The State, however, opposed the bail plea and informed the court that the State was going to file a petition seeking custodial interrogation before the concerned jurisdictional magistrate. The court noted that such a petition had not been filed yet. The court also noted that the first accused had already surrendered and was granted bail. The court further noted that initially the FIR was filed under a bailable offence and was later modified to include Section 3 of the Tamil Nadu Public Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act, which was non-bailable bailable. Thus, considering the facts and the period of incarceration suffered, the court was inclined to grant bail and ordered accordingly. Counsel for Petitioner: Mr. M. Subash Babu Senior Counsel for Mr. S. Arivazhagan Counsel for Respondents: Mr. Veera Kathiravan, Additional Advocate General assisted by Mr. E. Antony Sahaya Prabahar Additional Public Prosecutor Case Title: N Venkatesan v. The State of Tamil Nadu Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 364 Case No: CRL OP(MD)No.18221 of 2025Click Here To Read/Download The Judgment

Karur Stampede: Madras High Court Grants Bail To TVK Salem District Secy Booked For Assaulting Ambulance Driver

Upasana Sajeev

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