The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken over the probe into the deadly stampede in Karur during a rally of actor-politician and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay last month.
A special CBI team recently visited Karur and inspected the incident site at Velusamypuram and recorded the statements of the victims and their families.
The central agency has re-registered the FIR of the state police and informed the local court about the development.
Forty-one people were killed and over 60 others were injured in the stampede that took place on September 27. The mishap occurred after the crowd swelled beyond expectation and surged uncontrollably upon the actor's arrival.
Initially, the Madras High Court, which took suo motu cognisance of the incident, had ordered a probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT). However, the TVK moved the Supreme Court, demanding a CBI investigation.
The top court handed over the probe to the central agency and also appointed a three-member monitoring committee, led by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ajay Rastogi, to oversee the investigation.
In its order, the apex court noted that the incident had wide ramifications with respect to the life of the citizens, and enforcing the fundamental rights of the families who lost their kith and kin was of utmost importance.
It also expressed serious reservations over the manner in which the Madras High Court had taken suo motu cognisance of the incident and ordered an SIT probe.
The top court noted that the TVK was never made a party to the proceedings and that the High Court had extended the scope of the writ petitions beyond what was originally before it.