Chennai, Oct 8 (NationPress) The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), associated with Tamil actor C. Joseph Vijay, has filed a petition with the Supreme Court requesting an independent investigation led by a former judge of the apex court regarding the tragic stampede that occurred on September 27 in Karur, Tamil Nadu. This unfortunate incident resulted in the loss of 41 lives and left numerous others injured.

The petition was submitted by the party's Secretary, Aadhav Arjuna, contesting the Madras High Court’s order issued on October 3, which appointed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) overseen by Inspector-General of Police Asra Garg to investigate the incident.

This plea was brought before Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai and is anticipated to be heard on Friday, October 10.

On the same date, the court will also address a different appeal that challenges the Madras High Court's refusal to transfer the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

In its petition, TVK highlighted that despite the High Court having significant concerns about the state police's impartiality, it proceeded to form an SIT comprising solely of senior officials from Tamil Nadu.

"The petitioner-party and its leaders are adversely affected by the order appointing an SIT made up exclusively of state police officers, especially given the High Court's own expressions of discontent regarding the state police's independence and actions, which have led to biased conclusions against the petitioner," the plea stated.

Furthermore, the party has indicated the potential for a "pre-planned conspiracy" behind the deadly stampede, asserting that an investigation conducted by the state police would lack fairness and independence.

They also objected to what they described as "unverified and prejudicial comments" made against the party and its leaders by the High Court bench led by Justice N. Senthilkumar, which included allegations that TVK members had "fled from the scene" and "abandoned" victims.

In reality, according to the petition, TVK leaders and members promptly organized relief and medical assistance when reports of individuals collapsing surfaced.

However, the single judge bench characterized the stampede as a "significant man-made disaster" and expressed strong disapproval of the party's actions, asserting that the court could not remain a "silent observer".

The event on September 27 at Velusamypuram along the Karur–Erode Highway attracted approximately 27,000 attendees, which was nearly three times the expected turnout of 10,000. The crowd surged and broke through barricades around 8 p.m. after a long wait for Vijay's arrival on stage, resulting in chaos. Most victims were women and children who traveled from across western Tamil Nadu to see the beloved actor-turned-politician.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, Tamil Nadu Police charged several TVK officials, excluding Vijay, with offenses including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal negligence, and misrepresentation of expected crowd sizes.

Meanwhile, a division bench of Justices M. Dhandapani and M. Jothiraman of the Madurai Bench dismissed other petitions, including one from BJP's Uma Anandan, requesting a CBI investigation, noting that the investigation was still in its early phases.

The bench also instructed the state government to refrain from allowing public gatherings on National and State Highways until proper standard operating procedures are established.

With TVK now advocating for a retired Supreme Court judge to lead the investigation, the Supreme Court's hearing on October 10 is poised to decide whether the SIT-led inquiry will proceed or if an independent investigation will be initiated.