Supreme Court Rejects DMK Plea to Gag Tamil Nadu Leaders

The Supreme Court of India rejected a plea by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) seeking to prohibit Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay and Minister Aadhav Arjuna from making public statements about the Karur stampede investigation. The stampede occurred on September 27, 2025, during a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) rally, resulting in 41 deaths and over 100 injuries.

The DMK initially filed the plea on July 6, 2026, alleging that government ministers were attempting to influence witnesses. The petition specifically cited a July 2 speech by Aadhav Arjuna, who allegedly blamed the previous DMK government. The party also sought to prevent Chief Minister Vijay from visiting victims' families on July 10 to distribute government benefits, arguing such actions could tamper with material witnesses during the ongoing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe.

On July 7, a bench led by Justice K.V. Viswanathan declined to impose a judicial gag, stating that political battles should be fought with more speech. The court noted that Vijay is not named as an accused in the FIR and questioned the court's ability to regulate the speech or visits of an executive head. The bench further pointed out that the DMK had an existing remedy through a three-member monitoring committee headed by Justice Ajay Rastogi. Following these observations, the DMK withdrew the application with liberty to pursue other legal remedies, including potential contempt proceedings regarding the minister's statements.