TVK president and actor Vijay. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president and actor Vijay has sought a 15-day extension for his appearance before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for another round of questioning in connection with the Karur stampede case. He was summoned on Tuesday (March 10, 2026), according to agency sources.
The party chief has requested the agency to record his statement in Chennai or any other place in Tamil Nadu. The CBI is likely to issue fresh summons to him. The matter is under the consideration of the CBI officials concerned, a source said.
Mr. Vijay had earlier appeared before the agency on January 12 and 19.
The agency sources added that Karur MLA V. Senthil Balaji had also been summoned for questioning on Monday (March 9, 2026), but the notice was not received by anyone at his office or residence. The CBI then sent the summons to him on his official email address. However, he has allegedly not yet joined the probe.
The agency re-registered the case on October 13, 2025, following an order of the Supreme Court. Stating that the incident had “shaken the national conscience”, the Court directed the CBI to investigate the stampede that claimed 41 lives during a rally organised by the TVK.
The Supreme Court observed that entrusting the probe to the same police force whose senior officials had publicly exonerated their subordinates would compromise the credibility of the investigation. “This fact in itself creates a doubt in the minds of the general public about the independence and impartiality of the investigation…Caught in the doldrums are the families of the deceased, injured victims, and kith and kin of those who lost their lives in this tragedy. For them, the political tussle between the two sides is of little solace,” it said.
The Court also constituted a three-member monitoring committee, chaired by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ajay Rastogi, to supervise the progress of the CBI investigation.
Published – March 09, 2026 07:40 pm IST
