Mon Oct 13 04:26:26 UTC 2025: **Headline: Supreme Court Orders CBI Probe into Karur Stampede Amidst Political Wrangling**

**New Delhi, October 13, 2025:** The Supreme Court of India has mandated a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the tragic Karur stampede that claimed 41 lives during a rally organized by actor Vijay’s political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), on September 27. The decision, announced today, comes amidst accusations of political manipulation and concerns over the fairness of the initial investigation.

A bench comprising Justices J.K. Maheshwari and N.V. Anjaria has also appointed a monitoring committee headed by former Supreme Court Judge Justice Ajay Rastogi to oversee the CBI investigation. The committee will include two non-native IPS officers from the Tamil Nadu cadre, ensuring impartiality. The CBI is required to submit monthly progress reports to the monitoring committee.

The Supreme Court strongly criticized the Madras High Court for overstepping its bounds by forming a Special Investigation Team (SIT) when the initial petition only sought the establishment of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for political rallies.

The decision follows allegations by the DMK that certain petitioners attempted to mislead the Supreme Court, with claims emerging that individuals were unaware their names were attached to the petition seeking a CBI probe or were misrepresented in court.

Furthermore, the Supreme Court questioned the Tamil Nadu government regarding the speed at which post-mortems were conducted on the victims, raising concerns about the thoroughness of the initial investigation. The court has requested a report from the Madras High Court on the registration of the case.

The court emphasized that a “fair and impartial investigation is the right of every citizen” and that the CBI probe and monitoring committee are being established to “allay the concerns of the parties” and protect fundamental rights.

This case continues to develop, and The Hindu will provide ongoing updates as the investigation progresses.

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