The Supreme Court on Tuesday (7 July) declined to entertain a plea filed by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) seeking directions against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and other Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leaders over their public statements in the Karur stampede case. After the Bench indicated that it was not inclined to interfere in what it described as a political dispute, the DMK withdrew its application.
The Court observed that political disagreements should be fought in the public sphere and not brought before the judiciary in the guise of interlocutory applications.
Background of the Case
The application arose from the Supreme Court's ongoing monitoring of the investigation into the September 27, 2025, Karur stampede during a TVK political rally, in which 41 people lost their lives and 142 others were injured.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had transferred the investigation from the Tamil Nadu Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and directed that the probe be supervised by a three-member committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ajay Rastogi.
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DMK Organising Secretary R.S. Bharathi sought to be impleaded in the pending proceedings. The plea requested the Court to restrain Chief Minister Joseph Vijay, TVK ministers Aadhav Arjuna, Bussy Anand, C.T. Nirmal Kumar and others from making public comments on the ongoing investigation. It also sought safeguards before government benefits and compassionate appointments were distributed to victims' families, arguing that many of them were material witnesses in the CBI investigation.
The application further referred to statements allegedly made by Minister Aadhav Arjuna, claiming they created a public narrative blaming the DMK for the tragedy.
Court Questions the Need for Judicial Intervention
A Bench of Justice K.V. Viswanathan and Justice Alok Aradhe questioned whether the Supreme Court should intervene in what appeared to be a political contest.
The Bench remarked,
"How does the Supreme Court get an impleadment of a political rival? There are 41 people who have died. Is this a very thought of application? ... Today to make this Court a political forum instead of fighting your battles outside."
When counsel argued that public statements by TVK leaders could influence the investigation, the Court expressed concern that the relief sought would effectively restrict free speech.
Justice Viswanathan observed,
"You want us to impose an injunction on free speech? You counter their speech with your speech."
The Court also questioned the request relating to Chief Minister Vijay's proposed visit to Karur to distribute compensation and compassionate appointment letters to victims' families.
When it was suggested that such visits could affect witnesses, the Bench asked,
"You want the Chief Minister's visit to be regulated by the Supreme Court?"
The judges also clarified that Joseph Vijay had not been named as an accused in the FIR or even in the applicant's own pleadings, asking counsel to verify the factual position.
DMK Withdraws the Application
Following the Court's observations, Senior Advocate Ranjit Kumar, appearing for the DMK, sought permission to withdraw the application while reserving liberty to pursue other remedies available in law. He also requested that concerns regarding certain public statements be brought to the notice of the committee overseeing the investigation.
Accepting the request, the Bench recorded:
"Mr. Ranjit Kumar seeks to withdraw this application to pursue such other remedy as may be available to the applicant. We dismiss the application as withdrawn."
With that, the Supreme Court closed the impleadment application without examining its merits, leaving the CBI investigation and the Court-appointed monitoring mechanism to continue as previously directed.
Case Details:
Case Title: TAMILAGA VETTRI KAZHAGAM Versus P.H. DINESH AND ORS.
Case Number: SLP (Crl.) No. 16539 of 2025
Judge: Justice K.V. Viswanathan and Justice Alok Aradhe
Decision Date: July 7, 2026
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