New Delhi, Oct 30 (PTI) The Supreme Court asked a Karur stampede victim’s family on Thursday to approach the CBI with its allegation that it was threatened by officials.
A bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi took note of the submissions made by the lawyer appearing in the court on behalf of the family.
“It is contended that the petitioner has been threatened and cajoled by the officials of the State. However, in this regard, it suffices to say that the petitioner may apply to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
“Except to say the same, at present, no further orders are required to be passed on the interlocutory applications,” the bench said.
The court on October 13 ordered a CBI probe into the Karur stampede, in which 41 people were killed, saying the incident has shaken the national conscience and deserves a fair and impartial investigation.
In its order on a plea moved by actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) for an independent probe, the Supreme Court also set up a three-member supervisory committee headed by former apex court judge Ajay Rastogi to monitor the CBI investigation.
Suspending the directions for the appointment of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and a one-man enquiry commission, the court asked the Tamil Nadu government to fully cooperate with the officers of the central agency. It also criticised Justice N Senthilkumar of the Madras High Court for entertaining petitions on the incident, ordering an SIT probe and making observations against the TVK and its members, without making them a party to the case.
The top court had said the Karur stampede, which occurred during a TVK rally on September 27, has left an imprint in the minds of people throughout the country.
It said the incident has wide ramifications with respect to the lives of the citizens and enforcing the fundamental rights of the families who lost their kith and kin is of utmost importance.
The court took note of the political undertone of the case and said “without having regard to the gravity of the incident”, comments have been made before the media by top police officers, which may create a doubt in the minds of the citizenry on impartiality and a fair investigation.
Earlier, police said the rally saw a turnout of 27,000, nearly three times the expected number of 10,000 participants, and blamed a seven-hour delay on Vijay’s part in reaching the venue for the tragedy.
(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)
