Karur stampede: SIT formed, rallies halted; what Madras HC said on CBI probe demand

NEW DELHI: The Madras high court on Friday said that a Special Investigation Team ( SIT ) had been formed to investigate the Karur stampede that killed 41 on September 27. It prohibited political rallies along state and national highways in Tamil Nadu until Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were put in place.

The court also dismissed a plea by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Uma Anandan seeking a CBI probe into the Vijay rally stampede.

Moreover, it reserved its order on the pleas by TVK party functionaries seeking anticipatory bail in the matter, according to Live Law.

Key orders by HC:

• The court temporarily barred political parties from conducting public meetings or events on state and national highways in Tamil Nadu until Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were finalized. The state government assured the court that no such gatherings would be permitted outside designated areas until the SOPs were in place.
• It rejected BJP leader's plea for CBI probe, asking her to approach Madurai bench of HC.
• A Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by TN north zone IG Asra Garg IPS and comprising Namakkal SP has been constituted to probe the incident. The police has been directed to hand over all the related documents to SIT immediately.
• It reserved its verdict in the anticipatory bail pleas moved by two functionaries of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party apprehending arrest. The pleas were moved by TVK general secretary N Anand Bussy Anand and joint secretary CTR Nirmal Kumar.
• It termed the tweet posted and later deleted by TVK leader Aadhav Arjuna calling their cadres to raise up to a revolution like the one happened in Nepal as 'inflammatory and seditious.' It directed police to take appropriate action based on the FIR filed against him.