The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to an urgent listing of an interlocutory application alleging active attempts by sitting Tamil Nadu ministers to influence material witnesses in the tragic 2025 Karur stampede case.
A Vacation Bench comprising Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Sheel Nagu has scheduled the matter for an immediate hearing on Tuesday, July 7, 2026.
The legal intervention was made by Senior Advocate Huzefa Ahmadi on behalf of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and its organizing secretary, RS Bharathi. Ahmadi informed the apex court that following the 2026 Assembly elections, several individuals who were originally charge-sheeted in the stampede case have taken oath as cabinet ministers in the current Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) regime.
The senior counsel argued that the fairness of the ongoing, court-monitored Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe has been severely jeopardized, as these sitting ministers are using their political offices to actively influence and pressure material witnesses.
The DMK’s application calls for judicial directions to restrain Chief Minister C.Joseph Vijay, Public Works Minister Aadhav Arjuna, and other accused individuals from making threatening or public statements that comment on the merits of the pending investigation.
The petition specifically flags a recent public speech by Minister Arjuna, who blamed the previous DMK government for the tragedy and declared “a score to settle”, as a direct attempt to interfere with the CBI probe and alter public perception.
Additionally, the opposition party expressed serious apprehensions regarding the state government’s upcoming July 10 drive to distribute compassionate appointments and welfare benefits to the victims’ families.
While clarifying they do not oppose relief measures, the DMK argued that because these families are also critical witnesses in the CBI probe, any direct interaction by the accused political executive must be subject to strict Supreme Court safeguards to prevent witness tampering.
The Karur stampede, which occurred on September 27, 2025, during a TVK rally, resulted in the tragic loss of 41 lives and left over 140 injured, prompting the apex court to mandate a CBI inquiry overseen by a judicial supervisory committee last year.
