Madras High Court Urges Tamil Nadu Government to Simplify Regulations for Political Rallies Following Karur Tragedy

The hearing was adjourned to November 28.

Chennai:

The Madras High Court on Thursday called upon the Tamil Nadu government to establish broadly acceptable guidelines for political meetings and roadshows, while also suggesting separate regulations for events at religious venues. The court noted that the current draft norms appear excessively complex.

This direction follows the tragic Karur incident, where a stampede at actor Vijay's Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) political rally resulted in 41 fatalities. Following this disaster, three Public Interest Litigations were filed demanding uniform and strict regulations for political assemblies.

The Tamil Nadu government had earlier presented a draft of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) intended to prevent similar incidents during large gatherings.

When the case appeared before Chief Justice MM Srivastava and Justice G Arulmurugan, representatives of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and TVK stated that their suggestions had not been incorporated into the draft guidelines.

Senior advocate Vijay Narayan, representing AIADMK, contended that distinct regulations were necessary for events held at religious locations and emphasized that police should provide specific written justifications when denying applications for political meetings.

Concurrently, senior advocate Balasubramanian, appearing for TVK, urged the government to publish a comprehensive list of authorized venues on its website, including seating capacity, standing capacity, and crowd management protocols, to facilitate transparent event planning by political parties.

State Additional Advocate General Ravindran defended the draft regulations, stating that all parties had been consulted and venue details were already available online.

However, the Bench remarked that the current guidelines make the permission process comparable to "writing an exam and hoping to pass."

The judges emphasized that regulations must be sufficiently clear to prevent continuous litigation where every rejection leads to a new court case. They added that the state must clearly articulate the grounds for denying permission and ensure citizens comprehend the process.

The hearing was adjourned to November 28.