New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday ordered a CBI probe into the Karur stampede, in which 41 people were killed.
A bench comprising Justices J.K. Maheshwari and N.V. Anjaria appointed former Supreme Court judge Ajay Rastogi to head the committee that will monitor the CBI investigation.
On October 10, the Supreme Court reserved its order on a plea filed by Tamil actor Vijay's political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), and others.
On Tuesday, a bench headed by the Chief Justice of India agreed to hear a plea by BJP leader Uma Anandan challenging the Madras High Court's order refusing a CBI probe into the September 27 stampede.
BJP leader from Tamil Nadu, G.S. Mani, also filed a petition seeking a CBI investigation into the stampede.
The TVK has sought an independent investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court, contending that a fair and impartial probe would not be possible if conducted solely by Tamil Nadu Police officers.
The TVK's plea objected to the Madras High Court's decision to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising only Tamil Nadu Police officers. It alleged the possibility of a pre-planned conspiracy by some miscreants that led to the stampede.
The plea also took exception to the high court's scathing remarks against the party and the actor-politician, claiming they abandoned the venue after the incident and did not express any remorse.
Earlier, the police stated that the rally saw a turnout of 27,000 people, nearly three times the expected 10,000 participants, and attributed the tragedy to a seven-hour delay by Vijay in reaching the venue.
