Tamil Nadu government asks Supreme Court to vacate CBI probe order on Karur stampede
The Tamil Nadu government has urged the Supreme Court to vacate its October 13 interim order directing a CBI probe into the Karur stampede that killed 41 people and injured more than 60 during a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) rally on September 27.
In a counter-affidavit, the State also sought restoration of the Justice (Retired) Aruna Jagadeesan Commission of Inquiry, whose functioning was suspended by the same order.
“To vacate the order of suspension and permit the continuation of Justice Aruna Jagadeesan (Retired)one member Commission of inquiry constituted by the Government of TN under G.O.Ms.No. 605, Public (L&O-F) Department, dated 28.09.2025 to enquire as per the reference therein,” said the reply of the TN government.
The affidavit further asked the Court to delete the term “non-native” used in paragraph 33 of the October 13 order and to reconstitute or suitably modify the three-member Supervisory Committee overseeing the CBI investigation.
The TN government also sought dismissal of the Special Leave Petition (SLP) on the ground that it was “not maintainable and misconceived.”
The Supreme Court’s October directive for a CBI probe was issued after hearing multiple petitions, including one by TVK general secretary (Election Strategy) Aadhav Arjuna seeking to quash the Madras High Court’s SIT.
Three other petitioners, P Selvaraj of Emur Puthur, who lost his wife S Chandra, and P Panneerselvam of Alamarathupatti, who lost his nine-year-old son Prathik and G S Mani, Vice-president of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) state legal cell.