Madras High Court has reserved its verdict on Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam leader Aadhav Arjuna’s plea to quash the FIR filed against him in connection with the Karur stampede row, where he was accused of making inflammatory remarks.
The Madras High Court reserved its judgment on a petition filed by Aadhav Arjuna, General Secretary of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), who is seeking the cancellation of a First Information Report (FIR) against him.
The FIR was filed by the Chennai Cyber Crime Police, accusing him of posting an inflammatory message on social media that suggested a potential “Gen Z revolution” against the Tamil Nadu government.
The FIR cites multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS 192, 196(1)(b), 197(1)(d), 353(1)(b), and 353(2)), addressing offenses such as inciting violence, promoting enmity, and disseminating rumors harmful to national integrity.
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This case originated from Arjuna’s posts on X (formerly Twitter) dated September 29 and 30, following a tragic stampede at a TVK public meeting in Karur on September 27, which resulted in 41 fatalities.
In his posts, Arjuna cautioned that Tamil Nadu might experience a youth uprising akin to movements in nations like Sri Lanka and Nepal if the government did not respond to public discontent. He deleted the posts within 34 minutes.
In his petition, Aadhav Arjuna argued that the FIR was driven by political motives and that his comments had been misinterpreted.
His lawyer contended that the post did not target any specific community or religion and did not lead to any violence. The defense also highlighted that the police filed the FIR nearly 18 hours after the posts were removed.
Conversely, the prosecution claimed that the post had reached over 100,000 users and had the potential to incite unrest, asserting that the police acted within their rights.
After considering arguments from both sides, Justice Jagadish Chandra reserved the orders without providing a specific date for the announcement.
The incident on September 27, during a TVK rally led by actor-turned-politician Vijay, resulted in 41 deaths and numerous injuries. The chaos, including incidents involving Vijay’s campaign vehicle, triggered scrutiny of the party’s management of the event. Vijay himself was not named in any FIR, but the rally’s handling and aftermath became the focus of legal and political debates.
Earlier, On October 3, Justice N. Senthilkumar of the Madras High Court issued a critical order against TVK, noting the State’s investigation was “not up to mark” and directing a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe.
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The High Court highlighted its constitutional duty to intervene when investigations are inadequate.
TVK approached the Supreme Court, challenging this order, questioning both the criticism of the party and the SIT directive.
Meanwhile, families of victims and other petitioners continue to demand a CBI investigation, though the Madurai Bench of the High Court had earlier declined such a transfer, noting the State investigation was still ongoing and that the petitioners were not directly affected.