DMK moves Supreme Court to restrain TVK ministers from speaking on Karur stampede

In a plea filed by DMK organising secretary RS Bharathi, who has sought to be impleaded in a pending case, the party said several people who were initially chargesheeted in the Karur stampede case are now ministers in the Tamil Nadu cabinet after the 2026 Assembly elections.

In Short

• Bharathi seeks to be impleaded in the case
• The plea flags Vijay's July 10 Karur visit to victims' families
• DMK accuses minister Aadhav Arjuna of prejudicial remarks

The DMK has moved the Supreme Court seeking directions to restrain TVK leaders, including Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, from making public statements or levelling what it called false accusations in connection with the Karur stampede in which 41 people died. The party has also sought action over recent remarks allegedly made by a Tamil Nadu minister.

In a plea filed by DMK organising secretary RS Bharathi, who has sought to be impleaded in a pending case, the party said several people who were initially chargesheeted in the case are now ministers in the Tamil Nadu cabinet after the 2026 Assembly elections. The plea also raised concern over Bharathi's claim that Vijay is likely to travel to Karur on July 10 to meet the victims' families and hand over government benefits, including orders of compassionate appointment.

The petition referred to a public statement allegedly made on Thursday by Tamil Nadu minister Aadhav Arjuna, in which he allegedly said there was "a score to settle" over the Karur incident and alleged that the previous DMK government had "killed" Karur people through the police. Bharathi's plea has sought direction from the CBI to register a complaint and take action against Arjuna's public statements for allegedly influencing and tampering with witnesses and impeding the investigation.

Referring to Vijay's proposed visit, the plea said, "When the investigation is still pending, any direct interaction with such material witnesses by persons connected with the subject matter of the investigation or by the political executive presently in office, particularly while distributing benefits arising out of the very incident under investigation, has the potential to give rise to an apprehension, whether real or perceived, regarding the fairness and independence of the investigative process."

The Supreme Court had earlier ordered the CBI to take over the probe into the Karur stampede, saying the incident had shaken the national conscience and deserved a fair and impartial investigation. In its order on a plea filed by actor-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam for an independent probe, the court also set up a three-member supervisory committee headed by former apex court judge Ajay Rastogi to monitor the CBI investigation.

Earlier, the police had said the rally saw a turnout of 27,000, nearly three times the expected 10,000 participants, and blamed a seven-hour delay by Vijay in reaching the venue for the tragedy. The fresh plea now seeks to prevent public statements and interactions that, according to the DMK, could affect the ongoing investigation into the stampede.

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