TVK leaders abandoned victims, showed no remorse: Madras High Court
The court also slammed police for their handling of a case against TVK leader Aadhav Arjuna, who called for a 'youth revolt' against the Tamil Nadu government
In a scathing observation, the Madras High Court on Friday (October 3) said Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leaders had “abandoned the scene of occurrence” during the Karur stampede tragedy and “not expressed even remorse”, adding that such conduct “shows the mental state” of party chief C. Joseph Vijay. The September 27 stampede in Karur killed 41 people, including children and women.
Justice N Senthilkumar said the court “highly condemns such an act”, especially when women and children had lost their lives, and ordered the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by IPS officer Asra Garg to probe the incident.
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GCC Police' inaction
During the hearing of a batch of cases related to the Karur stampede in the court, Senior Counsel NR Elango, assisted by Additional Public Prosecutor E. Raj Thilak, remarked: that “the blood will not dry until rumours are spread”.
The court also slammed Chennai City Police for their handling of a case against TVK leader Aadhav Arjuna, who had posted a now-deleted message calling for a youth revolt against the Tamil Nadu government, modeled after those in Sri Lanka and Nepal.
Directing the police to treat the matter with seriousness, Justice Senthilkumar warned, “Even a small spark can lead to a disaster. Can you allow anybody to speak anything? Is there no law and order?”
The judge dismissed TVK’s claim that mere registration of an FIR was sufficient action, remarking that freedom of expression was not an “unfettered right” and must be subject to reasonable restrictions.
Earlier in the day, the court also rejected the anticipatory bail plea of TVK’s Namakkal district secretary N. Sathish Kumar in a case of mob violence that damaged a private hospital during Vijay’s campaign on September 27. The government opposed his plea, calling it a “serious offence” that warranted no leniency.
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