Today, the Supreme Court took up the ongoing matter related to the Karur Stampede investigation and revisited concerns surrounding the composition of the Supervisory Committee tasked with overseeing the CBI probe. The bench maintained its emphasis on ensuring an unimpeachable standard of fairness throughout the process.
The dispute stems from the Court’s October 13 ruling, which constituted a three-member Supervisory Committee led by former Supreme Court Judge Justice Ajay Rastogi. He was authorised to select two senior IPS officers of at least Inspector General rank who could belong to the Tamil Nadu cadre but were not permitted to be natives of Tamil Nadu, a condition imposed to bolster confidence in the neutrality of the probe.
Counsel argued that the nativity bar may be unnecessarily strict and that officers from Tamil Nadu, even if natives, could serve impartially. They urged the Court to revisit this direction to allow a more flexible composition.
Additionally, submissions were made on a report filed by the Registrar General of the Madras High Court explaining how a plea seeking guidelines for rallies was registered as a criminal writ petition.
The Bench noted that the earlier directions were issued to preserve the fairness and credibility of the investigation, which remains the Court’s primary concern. After reviewing the Registrar General’s report, the Court expressed dissatisfaction with the manner in which the petition was processed by the High Court and considered it necessary for all parties to examine the report and respond accordingly.
The Supreme Court declined to modify its earlier direction and upheld the condition that members of the Supervisory Committee monitoring the CBI probe must not be natives of Tamil Nadu. The Court indicated that it intends to conclude the matter comprehensively in the upcoming hearings.
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