7 months ago
1
The Supreme Court connected Friday (December 12, 2025) said a beardown content that “everything has to beryllium fair” powered its insistence connected appointing non-Tamil Nadu "native" constabulary officers arsenic portion of a retired apex tribunal judge-headed supervisory committee to show the CBI probe into the Karur stampede tragedy.
“We privation everything to beryllium fair,” Justice J.K. Maheshwari, heading a Bench, addressed the Tamil Nadu authorities side, represented by elder advocates Siddharth Luthra and P. Wilson.
Forty-one radical were killed and respective injured successful the Karur stampede connected September 27 during a rally organised by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) founded by histrion Vijay.
The State, successful a plea settled by Mr. Wilson, had recovered the court’s assertion against having Tamil Nadu “native” IPS officers connected the supervisory committee headed by Justice (retired) Ajay Rastogi “ex facie unconstitutional”.
“The absorption proceeds connected an impermissible presumption that officers of Tamil Nadu root are inherently little impartial, which is an affront to the integrity of the All India Services,” the State has contended.
The State, successful a plea filed by Mr. Wilson, besides argued that the transportation of the lawsuit to the CBI simply connected the crushed that it had “political undertones” undermined State autonomy. The State contended that the bid had acceptable a unsafe precedent portion upsetting the law equilibrium of powers betwixt the Centre and the States.
“Mere governmental overtones oregon allegations cannot warrant transferring probe to the CBI. In a national polity wherever antithetic governmental parties govern astatine the Union and the State, allegations of governmental motive oregon rivalry are commonplace,” the Tamil Nadu authorities had argued.
The State authorities sought a alteration successful the constitution of the supervisory committee, accusing 1 of the 2 constabulary officers of a erstwhile lawsuit of bias successful favour of a rival governmental party.
It further questioned the apex court’s determination to suspend the Chief Minister-appointed Commission of Inquiry headed by erstwhile Madras High Court judge, Justice Aruna Jagadeesan, connected the crushed that CBI had taken implicit the case.
“The Commission does not spell into the areas of the investigation. The intent of the Commission was to suggest measures required to beryllium taken truthful that specified tragedies did not hap successful the future,” Mr. Wilson argued.
Justice Maheshwari said “there is thing incorrect successful the Madras High Court” aft perusing a study submitted by the Madras High Court Registrar.
The Supreme Court had sought a study from the High Court aft voicing interest astir the multiplicity of proceedings and orders passed by its Madurai Bench and a Single Judge connected its Principal Bench successful Chennai.
On October 13, the apex tribunal had recorded interest astir the mode successful which the Single Judge suo motu proceeded to bid a SIT probe into the stampede erstwhile the Division Bench astatine Madurai was already proceeding petitions seeking a CBI investigation.
The 25-page bid of the apical tribunal successful October had questioned the Single Judge’s determination to nonstop a SIT probe erstwhile the petition earlier it had lone sought the framing of guidelines for the behaviour of governmental rallies successful nationalist places. Besides, the apical tribunal had pointed retired that Karur municipality fell wrong the jurisdiction of the Madurai Bench.
“Something is incorrect successful the High Court. Some practices are wrong,” Justice Maheshwari remarked.
