4 months ago
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The Supreme Court connected Thursday (January 22, 2026) refused to contented omnibus directions connected a PIL seeking broad directions to forestall stampedes during ample nationalist gatherings, including spiritual events, governmental rallies and yatras.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi permitted the petitioner to prosecute the substance earlier the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Election Commission of India (ECI).
At the outset, the CJI raised cardinal questions astir the scope of judicial involution successful matters involving assemblage absorption and instrumentality and order.
The Bench noted that the petition filed by Tumbalam Gooty Venkatesh sought a absorption to the Centre to framework and instrumentality a binding modular operating process (SOP) for assemblage absorption and information for ample nationalist gatherings.
“Similar directions person been sought to instrumentality SOP successful governmental rallies crossed the state during the exemplary codification of conduct. The petitioner has besides sought formulation for nationalist assemblage absorption information codification with existent clip updates,” the Bench said, adding, “We find the issues were raised by the petitioner successful practice connected December 18, 2025.”
The contented sought to beryllium raised revolves astir the work of States and the Centre to support instrumentality and bid successful specified nationalist events and gatherings, it noted.
“The directions are frankincense sought for formulation of a argumentation for which the domain experts of instrumentality and bid enforcing agencies are much suited. Since petitioner has already approached the MHA, we deem it due to dispose of the plea astatine this signifier to alteration the petitioner to prosecute practice earlier Union of India and that helium whitethorn besides furnish a transcript of this practice to the Election Commission arsenic good …We permission it for the competent authorization to see the practice if they deem it appropriate,” it ordered.
During the hearing, the Bench asked, “Can we contented specified directions astatine all?” and expressed reservations astir the feasibility of court-mandated, all-encompassing guidelines for assemblage control.
COMMENT | The subject is clear, assemblage disasters are preventable
Responding to the query, the counsel for the petitioner said the apical tribunal antecedently intervened successful argumentation matters wherever susceptible lives were astatine stake.
He cited an earlier PIL concerning stateless mentally challenged persons, wherever the Court had directed the formulation of SOP.
“Suppose immoderate radical privation to workout their cardinal close and bash a dharna successful Delhi. We tin modulate it truthful that determination is nary occupation for anybody, and astatine the aforesaid clip support escaped speech. But to accidental that a rally has to hap successful Chennai, the crushed tin person 10,000 radical but 50,000 crook up, past what bash we do,” the CJI asked.
The petitioner’s counsel referred to caller tragedies, including incidents astatine Karur and the RCB event, wherever 56 lives were reportedly lost, arguing that lone the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was presently addressing specified issues successful a fragmented manner.
He besides drew attraction to past judicial observations pursuing the Uphaar cinema tragedy, which had highlighted the request for stricter information norms and licensing requirements.
EXPLAINED | How is India responding to crowding disasters?
The lawyer urged the seat to nonstop the authorities to found a minimum benchmark for assemblage safety, contending that determination was nary ineligible explanation of the word “stampede” and that representations sent to the MHA had elicited nary response.
The Bench said the practice was fixed connected December 18 and the petition for filing successful the apical tribunal was acceptable connected December 21.
The authorities person to beryllium fixed immoderate “breathing time”, the CJI said and disposed of the PIL.
