The Supreme Court has questioned the Tamil Nadu government over granting permission for TVK’s Karur rally while denying the same for AIADMK. The bench also asked how midnight postmortems of 41 victims was completed within four hours.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday, October 10 came down heavily on the Tamil Nadu government, questioning how post-mortem examinations of 41 victims of the Karur stampede were conducted at midnight and completed within four hours. The court also asked why authorities granted permission to actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to conduct the roadshow in Karur on September 27, when a similar request from the AIADMK for the identical location had been rejected. Officials had cited the narrow space and safety concerns while denying the AIADMK’s application, stating that standard operating procedures for political gatherings were still being finalised. A bench of Justice JK Maheshwari and Justice NV Anjaria heard multiple petitions demanding an independent probe into the tragedy. TVK has requested oversight by a retired Supreme Court judge rather than the state-appointed Special Investigation Team, while other petitioners are pushing for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry.
State Government at Fault?
Senior Advocate Raghavachari V, representing one of the petitioners, highlighted the inconsistency in granting permissions. “AIADMK sought permission and police said its narrow space and we can’t give permission and in September they gave to TVK party on the same very place. If its going to be crowded for AIADMK, it should have been crowded for TVK. My humble submission is, the entire fault lies with state police,” LiveLaw quoted him as saying. He also pointed out the unusually swift processing of the bodies and questioned the circumstances. “The incident took place at 7:30 pm and those injured were rushed to the hospital at 9-10 pm. The postmortem for 30 bodies were conducted and cremation was done by 4 am in morning. The state conducted postmortem late night and it is unclear how suddenly the doctors appeared,” Raghavachari added.
Justice Maheshwari then asked the state counsel about the logistics. She added, “You conducted postmortem within four hours[at midnight?] How many [postmortem] tables do you have? Two? Why was permission granted when there was an order [to not give permission until SoP is finalised]?” The petitioners also made serious allegations that the stampede was not accidental. They claimed that certain individuals had been discussing an impending tragedy hours before it occurred, and suggested that someone deliberately threw footwear into the crowd to trigger panic.
Tamil Nadu Govt Requests Time
Senior Advocate P Wilson, representing Tamil Nadu government, explained that the rapid processing was driven by distressed families demanding the bodies of their loved ones. “The Collector gave permission for the postmortem. Our CM flew to Karur and people started pleading for getting the bodies. Therefore, the permission was granted. This is the first time we are facing this allegation, I will verify and file a detailed affidavit,” LiveLaw quoted Wilson as saying.
He assured the court that medical professionals were mobilised from neighboring districts. “Our Health Secretary has clarified that 220 doctors, 165 nurses and doctors who participated in the conference were mobilised,” Wilson stated, requesting time to file a detailed affidavit addressing all allegations. He also rejected claims that the tragedy was orchestrated. The court has reserved its order.