CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has reserved its order on petitions seeking framing of standard operating procedure (SOP) to deal with roadshows and rallies of political parties to prevent another tragedy similar to the Karur stampede, in which 41 people were killed during a road show by TVK leader Vijay on September 27.
After completion of arguments and submission of suggestions and objections by AIADMK, TVK, and Desiya Makkal Sakthi Katchi on Friday, the first bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan reserved the order.
The batch of petitions, filed after the Karur tragedy, included a few public interest litigations seeking a robust and effective mechanism to regulate roadshows.
Even before the tragedy, TVK had sought directions to the police to relax the conditions imposed on Vijay’s roadshows. The police submitted that several properties were damaged during the roadshow even after imposing such conditions.
A single judge, hearing the petition, had suggested collection of caution deposits from political parties before conducting the events. Other petitions followed the Karur tragedy. The first bench clubbed all these petitions and heard them together.