Supreme Court Questions Madras High Court Procedures in Karur Stampede Case

Supreme Court has requested a response from the Madras High Court regarding their procedures for case listing and hearings.

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court has formally requested a response from the Madras High Court concerning their protocols for listing and hearing cases, noting that "something wrong" appears to be occurring there. During a hearing of the Karur stampede case, Justices JK Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi made this observation after reviewing a report submitted by the Madras High Court's Registrar General.

The top court issued a notice and included the Registrar of Madras High Court as a party in the case connected to superstar Vijay's TVK party, stating that they intend to examine the rules being followed by the high court.

"Something wrong is happening in the High Court. We need to see..." remarked Justice JK Maheshwari.

Previously, while considering TVK's petition challenging the Madras High Court's order for a Special Investigation Team probe, the Supreme Court had highlighted "impropriety" on the part of the Chennai bench.

The apex court had strongly objected to the order mandating an SIT investigation when the original petition merely sought guidelines for conducting roadshows. This directive also conflicted with a previous order from the high court's Madurai bench that had denied a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe.

The Supreme Court had earlier questioned the appropriateness of the Madras High Court issuing two apparently contradictory orders regarding the Tamil Nadu Karur stampede and requested a comprehensive report explaining how this situation was permitted to occur.

While the Madurai bench rejected a request for a CBI investigation into the stampede, the Chennai bench had instructed an SIT probe.

The Tamil Nadu government's application against the Supreme Court's October 13 interim order directing a CBI investigation into the Karur stampede has been scheduled for a later hearing.

The tragic stampede resulted in 41 deaths and over 60 injuries during a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) rally on September 27.

Senior Advocate NK Kaul, representing Tamil Nadu's government, stated that the state has submitted a counter affidavit and requires a hearing.

However, Justice JK Maheshwari's bench clarified that today they are issuing a notice regarding how matters are processed in the Madras High Court and are including the High Court Registrar in the proceedings.

The state government has also requested the removal of the Supreme Court's stay on a single-member commission comprising retired Madras High Court judge Aruna Jagadeesan tasked with investigating the incident. The government argued that allowing the commission to continue its work would help prevent similar stampedes in the future.

The Supreme Court postponed this matter for later consideration, indicating they needed to first understand the commission's intended function.