In a dramatic escalation of the Karur stampede controversy that claimed 41 lives, Tamil superstar Vijay's newly launched political outfit, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), has stormed the Supreme Court, fiercely challenging a Madras High Court order to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for the probe. The apex court, in a swift move, has agreed to hear the explosive plea on Friday, October 10, bundling it with a parallel petition from BJP leader Uma Anandan demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry.

The tragic incident unfolded on September 27 during a high-energy roadshow for TVK in Velusamypuram, Karur district, Tamil Nadu. What was meant to be a triumphant political debut for Vijay – the Kollywood icon turned aspiring kingmaker – turned into a nightmare when a massive crowd of around 27,000 fans, far exceeding the permitted 10,000, surged uncontrollably. The chaos was exacerbated by a seven-hour delay in Vijay's arrival, leading to a deadly stampede that killed 41 people, including 10 children, and injured over 60 others. Heart-wrenching visuals of fans being trampled, motorbikes crushed under campaign vehicles, and ambulances struggling through the melee painted a grim picture of poor crowd management and organizational lapses.

The Madras High Court, on October 3, didn't mince words in its scathing indictment. Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy lambasted TVK leaders for "abandoning" the victims at the scene, describing the episode as a "huge man-made disaster" and slamming the party's "poor quality leadership." The court ordered the formation of an SIT headed by Inspector General of Police Asra Garg, the North Zone IG, to conduct a thorough investigation. It also dismissed a plea for a CBI probe but appointed a single-judge commission to oversee compensation and relief efforts.

In a stinging rebuke, the bench highlighted how TVK functionaries, including general secretary N. Anand alias 'Bussy' Anand and joint general secretary C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar, fled the site without rendering aid, leaving grieving families to fend for themselves. The Madurai Bench of the High Court went further, rejecting anticipatory bail pleas from Anand and Nirmal Kumar, who now face potential arrest as police teams hunt for other absconding leaders like district secretary V.P. Mathiyazhagan.

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Undeterred, TVK's petition, filed by party secretary Aadhav Arjuna through advocates Dixita Gohil, Pranjal Agarwal, and Yash S. Vijay, argues that a fair probe is impossible under Tamil Nadu police auspices, given the state's alleged political biases. The party is pushing for an independent investigation supervised directly by the Supreme Court, preferably led by a retired apex court judge, to ensure impartiality. "The contemporaneous sequence of events clearly establishes that, upon receiving information that certain individuals had fainted during the event, the Petitioner's leadership and Party cadre took immediate and coordinated steps to ensure medical aid and relief were provided without delay," the plea asserts, countering the High Court's narrative and portraying TVK's response as proactive despite the criticism.

A bench led by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran took note of the urgency, scheduling the hearing alongside Anandan's CBI demand – rejected earlier by the High Court but now revived at the top level. The overlapping pleas could force the Supreme Court to weigh in on the probe's credibility, potentially reshaping the investigation into one of India's most heartbreaking political tragedies.

The fallout has rippled far beyond the courts. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced plans to formulate strict Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for public events to prevent future stampedes, while Vijay himself issued a poignant statement urging critics to "target me, not TVK cadre." TVK functionaries have reached out to victims' families on Vijay's instructions, offering condolences and aid, but the damage to the party's image – launched just months ago as a fresh alternative in Tamil politics – is palpable. With elections on the horizon, this scandal threatens to derail Vijay's ambitious foray into the political arena, where his massive fanbase once seemed an unbeatable asset.

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