Karur stampede aftermath: Prepare SOP on public gatherings within 10 days, Madras HC directs TN govt

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government should prepare a standard operating procedure (SOP) on holding public meetings within 10 days, the Madras High Court directed on Monday.

The first bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan was hearing a batch of petitions on the matter after the Karur TVK rally stampede in which 41 people were killed.

According to a Thanthi TV report, the government advocate, additional advocate general J Ravindran, said the authorities would not consider any applications seeking permission to hold public events till the SOP was ready. To this, the bench wondered if that would have a bearing on the democratic rights of political parties.

The bench then said the government should not stop considering applications seeking permission for public meetings in places other than State or National Highways.

Appearing for TVK, senior counsel V Ragavachari submitted that the government was not permitting any political party to hold public events, citing the Madurai bench’s direction that SOP should be framed first. He also alleged that the stampede would not have happened if the authorities concerned had granted permission promptly.

The court directed it to pass appropriate orders on such applications within a reasonable period of time so that parties have adequate time to make the arrangements. If the government failed to do so and petitions reach the court about delay in granting permission, the court would be constrained to pass orders, the bench cautioned.

The AIADMK sought permission to file impleading petition in the case.

The bench posted to November 11, further hearing of the petitions.