SC-appointed committee to begin 3-day on-ground review in Karur tragedy

SC-appointed committee to launch field scrutiny in Karur tragedy

November 29, 2025

Karur rally stampede audit begins as SC panel reconstructs ground zero events

Panel monitors federal probe, scrutinizes admin approval and crowd protocol

A Supreme Court of India–appointed supervisory panel monitoring the CBI probe into the Karur stampede begins on-ground inspections on December 1, sources say. The committee, chaired by retired apex court judge Justice Ajay Rastogi, spends three days at the incident site to assess safety, administrative decisions, and protocol adherence.

According to sources, the panel examines every point at ground zero and reconstructs the sequence of events that triggered the fatal crowd surge during a political rally held by the actor-turned-politician Vijay’s party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). The stampede, which took place on October 12, 2025, killed 41 people and injured over 60 others. The panel creates a spot-by-spot mapping of events and prepares a multi-factor checklist for detailed scrutiny.

Ahead of the visit, the committee issues a set of queries to the Karur district administration, focusing on the type of permission granted for the rally, whether crowd-control measures were sufficient, what safety assessments were carried out, and how authorities tracked the crowd moment by moment. The panel also seeks a minute-by-minute account of how the situation escalated and what triggered the sudden humanitarian collapse.

The supervisory body demands explanations on whether standard rally safety protocols were implemented, what risk-mitigation strategies were verified before granting approval, how emergency response units were deployed once the crowd pressure surged, and how fast evacuation and trauma response systems were activated after casualties began to mount.

The panel cautions the investigating agency, stating that “no external influence will be accepted in the probe” and reiterates that “justice for victims is the core objective.” Sources also confirm a meeting held last week between panel members and CBI officers, during which the agency submits its detailing the line of investigation and a provisional timeline of the probe.

The committee, which includes two senior officers — Sumit Saran (on deputation with the Border Security Force) and Sonal V Mishra, IG Provisioning with the CRPF — has already initiated preliminary case groundwork and evidence sourcing. The panel wants statements from local administration staff and government employees who were present at the rally venue to help authenticate ground events and plug information gaps, sources add.

The Supreme Court originally orders the CBI probe on October 12, 2025, concurrently forming the supervisory committee. The apex court also questions the Madras High Court’s response to the case, stating that the magnitude of the tragedy warrants uncompromised, multi-agency scrutiny with national implications.

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