Karur Stampede: SC to hear plea against CM Vijay's meet with victims' kin

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to take up an application filed by DMK seeking to restrain the TVK chief and Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay, other TVK ministers and others connected with the case from making public statements on the merits of the pending investigation.

Senior Advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, appearing on behalf of DMK Secretary RS Bharathi (the petitioner in this case), mentioned the matter before a vacation bench comprising Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Sheel Nagu. The Bench orally remarked that it will take up the matter on Tuesday.

Citing urgency, the senior lawyer submitted that Chief Minister Vijay was proposing to meet the victims' families on July 10 and raised the apprehension that witnesses might be influenced.


He submitted that while the CBI probe is pending, the Tamil Nadu CM meeting the victims' families amounts to an attempt to influence the witnesses. "In the interregnum, after April, some of the accused, who are now Ministers in the present regime, there is an active attempt to influence the witnesses," the senior lawyer submitted. "What order can be really passed?" Justice Amanullah orally queried. Eventually, the Bench agreed to list the matter tomorrow.

The plea filed by DMK cites media reports that the Vijay-led Tamil Nadu government may provide a government job to one member of each of the 41 affected families.

The application says Vijay had earlier distributed Rs 20 lakh each to the families of those killed and Rs 2 lakh each to those injured while criminal proceedings were pending. The DMK has said it has no objection to welfare measures for the victims' families, but argued that they are also material witnesses in the ongoing case.