The First Bench of the Madras High Court on Friday set a deadline for the Tamil Nadu Government to notify, before January 5 next, the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to regulate massive roadshows and rallies by political parties and others.
Comprising Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan, the bench issued the directive while passing orders on a batch of writ petitions, including PILs.
The demand for an SOP for roadshows and rallies gained momentum following the September 27 killer stampede at Karur, which claimed 41 lives, including women and children, during a roadshow of Tamilga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president and film star-turned neta Vijay. In its aftermath, Chief Minister MK Stalin had announced that the government would come out with the guidelines after holding consultations with all recognised political parties and stakeholders. The government too held a consultation with the political parties even as some have approached the High Court in this regard.
The state government had framed the draft SOP after following the all-party consultation, which was attended, among others, by the principal opposition, AIADMK, and the fledgling TVK. The opposition, as well as some smaller allies of the ruling DMK, have submitted suggestions and objections. It was submitted to the court last month.
“The state shall make a decision, one way or the other. A decision on the suggestions and objections of the parties has to be taken. Finalise the SOP and notify it as early as possible and not later than January 5, 2026,” the Bench said in its order, adding, “If any political party feels aggrieved by the conditions in the SOP, it can approach the Court against such conditions.”
The draft SOP stipulating 16 conditions had exempted religious congregations at places of worship as customary events with established precedents and gatherings of less than 5,000 persons. For gatherings of more than 5,000 attendees, every District Collector should notify designated places for such public meetings and processions. Applications seeking permission for events should be submitted in the prescribed format 10 days in advance for a designated venue and for others before 15 days. However, for party conferences and other major events that might draw over 50,000 people, 30 days’ advance notice is required.
Further, the SOP makes it mandatory for the organisers to have one volunteer with identifiable T-shirts, badges, and identity cards for every 100 participants. Such volunteers should work in coordination with the police, who will be deployed in the ratio of one policeman/woman for 200 participants. The organisers have to install a sufficient number of CCTV cameras at the venue and en route to the venue, with the police having access to the footage on a real-time basis.