Karur stampede | 'Asked me to sign some papers, which I did': Two affected families claim they were misled into filing writs in Supreme Court for CBI probe

Chennai: Two families, among those affected by the Karur stampede incident, have claimed that they were misled into filing writs in the Supreme Court seeking a probe by the CBI into the tragic incident that left 41 dead on September 27.

Their names were included in the batch of petitions while all along they thought that the papers were to seek compensation and jobs for their family members, they said.

“We did not know that a CBI inquiry was requested on our behalf regarding the Karur tragedy. It has been 9 years since my husband Panneerselvam, who had signed the petition, abandoned us,” says Sharmila, mother of the 9-year-old boy who had lost his life in the stampede during a political rally addressed by actor-politician Vijay.

She claimed that Panneerselvam Pitchaimuthu, father of her son, had left the family when the son was six months old.

P Selvaraj, a daily wage earner, said he had signed some papers hoping that he would receive compensation and a job for his son, following his wife Chandra’s death in the stampede.

His second son had a miraculous escape when he changed his mind and went home after the swelling crowd eager to see Vijay pushed to the road's periphery. His mother was however caught in the midst of the crowd and tragically met her end.

“They asked me to sign some papers, which I did. I did not know what exactly they were until the news broke out on the court case asking for a CBI probe,” Selvaraj told reporters.

Voipadi Kumar, Erode Central DMK IT wing district deputy coordinator alleged “a conspiracy by the opposition parties” and demanded justice for the Karur stampede victims.

Alleging “fraud and misrepresentation” in the case, the Tamil Nadu Digital Journalists Union has in a petition submitted to the Supreme Court on October 12, claimed that two key petitions filed in the SC pleading transfer of the case to CBI were allegedly instituted without the free, informed, and voluntary consent of the individuals named as petitioners.

“The revelations, evidenced by publicly available recorded interviews, raise serious concerns about procedural fairness, the genuineness of consent, and possible abuse of the judicial process through fraudulent or malafide petitions,” the TNDJU said in an email representation to the Chief Justice of India and the Bench comprising justices J K Maheshwari and N V Anjaria.

The union has sought suo motu cognisance of the allegedly fraudulent and malafide institution of the petitions, verification and scrutiny of all related records and materials, assurance that Advocates-on-Record have complied with due diligence mandates under the Supreme Court Rules, with disciplinary or contempt proceedings initiated if found in default, and any other orders necessary to preserve the integrity of judicial proceedings.