Madras HC orders TN govt to notify SOPs for handling of roadshows, political rallies

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], December 19 (ANI): The Madras High Court on Friday ordered the Tamil Nadu government to notify Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for handling of huge roadshows, and rallies of political parties by January 5, 2026.
The first bench of Madras HC Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan on a batch of petitions which sought SOPs to manage crowds better and prevent tragedies like the Karur stampede which killed 41 people back in September.
Actor Vijay's TVK had also filed a petition, seeking relaxation of conditions imposed for the actor's roadshows, while other petitioners sought for SOPs to prevent stampedes at rallies.
The Tamil Nadu government has submitted a draft SOP to the court already, according to sources.
Currently, the Central Bureau of Investigation is investigating the Karur stampede, after a bench of Supreme Court judges Justices J.K. Maheshwari and N.V. Anjaria ordered a three-member committee, headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ajay Rastogi, to monitor the CBI probe for a fair and impartial investigation into the tragedy.
The committee would include two senior IPS officers from the Tamil Nadu cadre who are not natives of the state, to be chosen by him, the top court noted in its order.
The committee's mandate includes monitoring the CBI investigation, issuing directions on areas where further investigation is needed, reviewing the evidence collected by the CBI, supervising the investigation to ensure it reaches its logical conclusion, and undertaking any ancillary or incidental inquiry necessary to ensure a fair investigation.
At least 41 people lost their lives and more than 100 sustained injuries, including children and women in a stampede which occurred in Tamil Nadu's Karur during a rally organised by the Tamil Nadu Vetri Kazhagam (TVK).
Earlier on Thursday, a TVK supporter fell unconscious during a rally addressed by Vijay. The supporter was immediately shifted to a hospital in an ambulance for medical attention.
On Thursday, TVK held its first public meeting in the state after the stampede, with the party chief addressing the supporters at Moongilpalayam Meeting Ground in Erode. (ANI)