New Delhi, July 7, 2026: The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to entertain an application filed by the General Secretary of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) seeking to restrain Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, Minister Aadhav Arjuna and other accused from making public statements on the Karur stampede case, which is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The plea also sought regulation of the Chief Minister's proposed July 10 meeting with the victims' families. Faced with the Bench's unwillingness to hear the matter, the applicant withdrew the plea. The Court dismissed it as withdrawn while granting liberty to pursue other remedies available under the law.
During the hearing, the Bench of Justice K.V. Viswanathan and Justice Alok Aradhe repeatedly questioned whether the Supreme Court could regulate the Chief Minister's public engagements or restrict political speech.
“Do you want the Supreme Court to regulate the Chief Minister's meeting?” Justice Viswanathan asked. When Senior Advocate Ranjit Kumar argued that the Chief Minister and other ministers should be restrained from commenting on the merits of the case, the judge responded, “So you want us to impose an injunction on free speech? You counter their speech with your speech.”
Court Corrects FIR Claim
A key moment in the hearing came when Kumar described Vijay as “accused number one” in the case. Justice Viswanathan immediately corrected him, pointing out that the Chief Minister was not named as an accused in the FIR.
“Even your application and your FIR registered by the previous government don't refer to the Chief Minister as an accused,” the judge said, asking counsel to verify the facts. Senior Advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul, appearing for the respondents, also confirmed that Vijay was not an accused.
The Bench further questioned how the distribution of Rs 10 lakh ex gratia compensation and compassionate appointment orders to victims' families would affect the CBI investigation, observing that the application appeared inadequately considered. It also remarked that the Court should not become a forum for a political battle, Live Law reported.
DMK Raises Witness Concerns
The application argued that while it had no objection to ex gratia assistance or welfare measures, the victims' families were material witnesses in the CBI investigation. It claimed that direct interaction between political leaders and witnesses during the ongoing probe could raise concerns about the fairness of the investigation.
The plea also referred to Vijay's earlier financial assistance to victims' families in October 2025 and alleged that recent public remarks by Minister Aadhav Arjuna, an accused in the case, sought to create a narrative around the incident.
It further sought directions restraining Vijay, Arjuna, Bussy Anand, C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar and other accused from commenting on the investigation, besides asking the CBI to initiate proceedings against Arjuna over his July 2 statement.
Also Watch:
However, after indicating its disinclination to entertain the plea, the Supreme Court allowed the applicant to withdraw it with liberty to pursue other legal remedies.
To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/
