Chennai, Oct 27 (IANS) Amid growing concerns over the safety of political gatherings following the Karur stampede that claimed 41 lives during actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay’s campaign on September 27, the Madras High Court on Monday directed the Tamil Nadu government to frame a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) within 10 days for the conduct of political rallies and meetings across the state.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan issued the directive while hearing a batch of petitions, including one filed by Vijay’s party, TVK, which had earlier challenged the “onerous and restrictive” conditions imposed by the police while granting permissions for political events.

Several other petitions filed after the Karur tragedy

See Full Page