Tamil Nadu has asked the Supreme Court to withdraw its October 13 order transferring the Karur stampede investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), arguing that the state’s own Special Investigation Team (SIT) can conduct a fair and effective probe. In an affidavit, the Home Department said the order was issued without giving the state an opportunity to be heard and effectively disposed of the writ petition even before its maintainability was examined.
The state also urged the court to lift its suspension of the Justice Aruna Jagadeesan Commission of Inquiry. It defended the conduct of the local police and the SIT, claiming they acted with “utmost diligence” and had deployed a detailed security arrangement with 606 personnel, traffic management plans and compliance with National Disaster Management Authority guidelines. Allegations that the district administration was negligent were dismissed as unfounded.
The incident took place on September 27 during a rally led by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay, resulting in 41 deaths and more than 60 injuries. Tamil Nadu accused lead petitioner GS Mani of filing politically motivated cases and alleged that TVK engaged in “forum shopping” by seeking a CBI probe in the Supreme Court after opposing similar proceedings before the High Court. It added that TVK member Adhav Arjuna — who has been named as an accused — could not legally ask for a court-monitored investigation.
The state reminded the court that the Madras High Court had already evaluated requests for a CBI probe and decided that an SIT-led investigation would be a balanced solution, which should not be reopened now. It also highlighted the professional track record of SIT chief Asra Garg, an IPS officer previously appointed by the constitutional courts for sensitive investigations.
The Supreme Court originally handed the probe to the CBI, saying the tragedy had “shaken the national conscience” and called for an impartial investigation. It also criticised the Madras High Court judge who ordered the SIT to make observations against TVK without hearing the party.
Tamil Nadu maintains that its investigation shows no bias or bad faith and has asked the Supreme Court to restore the SIT’s authority and allow it to finish the probe.
