New Delhi: The DMK on Friday approached the Supreme Court seeking directions to restrain Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and other leaders of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) from making public statements or levelling what it described as “false accusations” regarding the Karur stampede that claimed 41 lives.
The application was filed by DMK organising secretary R.S. Bharathi, who has sought to be impleaded in the pending case before the apex court.
In his plea, Bharathi stated that several individuals who were initially named in the chargesheet have since become ministers in the Tamil Nadu Cabinet following the 2026 Assembly elections.
The petition referred to remarks allegedly made on Thursday by Tamil Nadu minister Aadhav Arjuna, who reportedly said there was “a score to settle” over the Karur incident. According to the plea, Arjuna accused the previous DMK government of being responsible for the deaths, alleging that the administration had “killed” the people of Karur through police action.
Apart from Chief Minister Vijay, Bharathi has sought directions against TVK ministers Aadhav Arjuna, Bussy Anand and C.T. Nirmal Kumar, urging the court to restrain them and others connected to the matter from making public comments on the merits of the ongoing investigation.
The DMK also requested safeguards before the Tamil Nadu government distributes compensation, government benefits or compassionate appointments to the families of those killed or injured in the stampede. While clarifying that it does not oppose welfare measures for the victims, the party argued that the affected families are material witnesses in the case, which is being investigated by the CBI under the supervision of a committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ajay Rastogi.
