Trouble For Vijay After Karur Stampede? Injured Man Moves Madras HC Against Nod To TVK To Hold Rallies

(MENAFN- Live Mint) An injured victim of Karur stampede has filed a plea in the Madras High Court to stop the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) from granting TVK permission for any future public meetings or rallies led by Vijay until the fatal stampede is fully investigated, responsibility is fixed, and effective safety protocols are guaranteed.

The toll in the September 27 stampede climbed to 40 on Sunday with over 60 being treated as in-patients.

The petitioner, Senthilkannan, implead himself (formally join as a party) in a separate petition already filed by TVK, where the party is seeking a directive for the DGP to grant them permission to hold political campaigns across the state between September 20 and December 20, 2025.

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Essentially, the victim is using the Saturday's stampede tragedy to legally challenge the TVK's ability to hold any immediate future rallies, arguing that safety cannot be guaranteed right now.

'Reckless Planning'

Senthilkannan contended before the court that the tragedy was not merely an accident, but the direct result of reckless planning, gross mismanagement, and a complete disregard for public safety. The organisers allowed the crowd to gather without any restriction, failed to provide adequate barriers, and positioned the campaign vehicle in a manner that was certain to provoke a dangerous surge.

The specifics of the resultant deaths and serious injuries have been duly recorded on the file of the Karur town police station.

An FIR has been registered under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and Section 106 (causing death by negligence).

He added that these provisions clearly underscore the gravity of the criminal liability arising from the incident.

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Furthermore, he asserted that the right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India is sacrosanct and must not be jeopardised by the unregulated conduct of political rallies. While Article 19(1)(b) confers the right to assemble, the Constitution itself permits reasonable restrictions in the interest of public order, morality, and safety. He submitted that the Karur incident served as a stark reminder that the unrestricted exercise of this right can have catastrophic consequences, resulting in serious loss of life.

The state has a positive obligation to protect citizens from such dangers by enforcing adequate preventive measures and by refusing permission for such rallies where there is a clear risk to life and public order.

He argued that permitting further rallies by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and its founder-leader, Vijay, while the Karur tragedy remains under investigation, would amount to placing countless other lives at peril.

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