Supreme Court refuses to restrain CM Vijay from commenting on Karur stampede

The Supreme Court, on Tuesday, July 7, refused to entertain a plea filed by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) seeking directions to restrain Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, Minister Aadhav Arjuna, and other persons connected with the Karur stampede case from making public statements on the ongoing CBI investigation or interacting with victims’ families.A bench of Justices KV Viswanathan and Alok Aradhe expressed its disinclination to entertain the application, following which the DMK withdrew the plea. The court dismissed the application as withdrawn, while granting liberty to the petitioner to pursue other remedies available under law.The application was submitted ahead of Chief Minister Vijay’s proposed visit to Karur on July 10 to distribute ex gratia compensation and compassionate appointment orders to the families of those killed in the September 27, 2025 stampede, in which 41 people died and 142 were injured.During the hearing, senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, appearing for the DMK, argued that statements made by TVK ministers were creating a “narrative” about the case and could affect the court-monitored CBI investigation.The bench questioned the relief sought by the petitioner. Justice Viswanathan asked, “You want the Chief Minister’s visit to be regulated by the Supreme Court and fix his itinerary?”When the petitioner clarified that it was only seeking restraint on public comments relating to the merits of the case, the bench remained unconvinced.Justice Viswanathan observed, “So you want us to impose an injunction on free speech? You counter their speech with your speech. How does the Supreme Court, in a matter where it ordered the CBI investigation, allow the impleadment of a political rival and pass one order after the other?”The court also questioned how the distribution of compensation and compassionate appointments to victims’ families could interfere with the investigation. The court remarked, “Today, hypothetically, if an executive head is going to distribute what is already promised, how will it influence victims?”During arguments, the DMK contended that Chief Minister Vijay had a “dual role” as the head of the executive and an accused in the case. The court, however, corrected the submission. Justice Viswanathan said, “Who is the accused number 1? Even your application and your FIR registered by the previous government don't refer to the Chief Minister as an accused. Please check your facts. I may be wrong.”Senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul, appearing for the respondents, clarified that Vijay was not named as an accused in the FIR. The court then observed, “The accused are some who are the ministers…not the Chief Minister.”The bench further questioned whether the Supreme Court should become a platform for resolving political disputes. Following these observations, the DMK sought permission to withdraw the application while reserving the right to pursue other remedies, including approaching the three-member supervisory committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ajay Rastogi and initiating separate contempt proceedings over alleged remarks made by Minister Aadhav Arjuna.Recording the withdrawal, the bench dismissed the application as withdrawn.The application, filed by DMK organising secretary RS Bharathi, had sought directions restraining TVK leaders including Chief Minister Vijay, Aadhav Arjuna, Bussy Anand, CTR Nirmal Kumar, and others from commenting on the merits of the pending CBI investigation. It also sought safeguards for the disbursal of government benefits to victims’ families, contending that they are material witnesses in the ongoing probe.The Supreme Court had earlier transferred the investigation into the September 2025 Karur stampede from the Tamil Nadu Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation and directed that the probe be monitored by a three-member committee headed by Justice (Retd) Ajay Rastogi.