The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probing the Karur stampede has issued a notice to actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay, directing him to appear before the agency for questioning on January 12.
The CBI has already questioned top leaders of TVK, following the Supreme Court's transfer of the investigation to the probe agency in October last year.
The agency has now decided to call Vijay in connection with the case, following which it may take a call on filing a charge sheet in the matter, officials said.
The Karur stampede happened on 27 September 2025 during a political rally of Vijay in Karur's Veluswamypuram. Several factors, including poor crowd management and a delay in Vijay's arrival at the venue, are believed to have caused the stampede, which claimed 41 lives and injured many others.
The actor, who had launched his party's political campaign a few months earlier, in view of the Assembly elections, faced widespread criticism after the incident. In October last year, Vijay met the families of the victims and apologised for the incident.
The case, earlier probed by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Madras HC, was transferred to the CBI by the SC on October 13 after hearing a batch of pleas, including the one filed by TVK general secretary Aadhav Arjuna.
The top court also constituted a three-member committee, headed by former SC judge Justice Ajay Rastogi and comprising of two IPS officers of the Tamil Nadu cadre --who are not natives of TN-- to monitor the investigation.
"The issue involved certainly has a bearing on the fundamental rights of the citizens and the incident, which has shaken the national conscience, deserves fair and impartial investigation. As such, by way of interim measure, direction deserves to be issued to hand over the investigation to the CBI which would lead to fair administration of justice. There cannot be any doubt that fair investigation is the right of a citizen," the court said.