Madras High Court Gives Tamil Nadu 10 Days To Frame SOP For Political Rallies After Karur Stampede

The Madras High Court on Monday (27 October) directed the Tamil Nadu government to prepare a draft Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) within 10 days for the conduct of political meetings and rallies across the State, following the Karur stampede that claimed 41 lives during actor-turned-politician C Joseph Vijay’s campaign on 27 September.

Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan instructed Additional Advocate General (AAG) J Ravindran to submit the draft by 11 November, warning that failure to do so would compel the court to issue interim directions mandating that permission applications for political events be made at least 10 days in advance and cleared by police three days before the event, The Hindu reported.

The order came in response to multiple petitions, including one filed earlier by Vijay’s party, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) demanding clear regulations to ensure safety at large gatherings. TVK had complained of “onerous” police conditions while seeking permissions for campaign events.

Senior counsel V Raghavachari, representing TVK, argued that timely approval was vital for political parties to make logistical arrangements, claiming that permission for the Karur meeting came just a day before the tragedy.

The AAG refuted this, stating that TVK had originally planned its Karur campaign for December but abruptly advanced it, submitting its application only on 25 September.

The Bench acknowledged the complexity of coordinating among departments such as police, civic bodies, health, and fire services, granting the State 10 days to finalise the draft SOP.

The court also noted that the AIADMK, represented by senior counsel Vijay Narayan, had filed an impleading petition to offer its inputs on regulating political rallies.

Additionally, the judges closed BJP councillor Uma Anandan’s plea for a CBI probe since the Supreme Court had already transferred the investigation.

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