Chennai: The Madras High Court has fixed an urgent hearing at 4:30 pm on Sunday on a plea seeking to stop actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) from holding rallies and public meetings until an inquiry into the Karur stampede is completed. The tragedy at Vijay’s campaign had left 40 people, including children, dead.

What does the petition seek?

The case was brought before a vacation bench of Justice N Senthilkumar by N Senthilkannan of Karur district. The petitioner has requested that the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police/Head of Police Force (DGP/HoPF) be restrained from giving approval for any TVK events until safety guidelines are clearly framed in the aftermath of the Karur incident.

How does this link to TVK’s earlier case?

The plea is connected to an ongoing matter in which the TVK had challenged what it described as “onerous” conditions imposed by the police for its statewide campaign.

While hearing that case on 18 September, Justice N Sathish Kumar had raised concerns about the damage caused to both public and private property during political events. He had suggested that the state explore the idea of collecting security deposits from political parties to cover potential losses.

However, when an Assistant Inspector General from the DGP’s office submitted an affidavit stating that there was no legal framework for such collections, Justice Sathish Kumar expressed displeasure. He then suo motu impleaded the Chief Secretary and the Home Secretary, instructing them to take a policy decision by 16 October.

Why has a new petition been filed?

In the wake of the Karur stampede, the fresh impleading petition has been filed to ensure that TVK does not organise new rallies or meetings until the inquiry into the tragedy concludes.

What about TVK’s stand in Madurai?

Meanwhile, in Madurai, TVK’s lawyer S Arivazhagan has approached vacation judge Justice M Dhandapani, seeking urgent relief against possible coercive measures by the police following the stampede. A bench of Justices Dhandapani and M. Jothiraman has agreed to hear TVK’s petition on Monday afternoon.

The Karur incident has sparked sharp criticism and intense legal scrutiny of how political events are managed in Tamil Nadu. Crowd control and public safety have become major talking points ahead of next year’s Assembly elections. 

IANS inputs