CBI summons Vijay in Karur stampede case, actor seeks 15 days to appear for questioning

New Delhi: Actor and TVK chief Vijay was summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a fresh round of questioning on Tuesday. However, the actor-politician sought 15 days to appear before the agency due to prior political engagements, following which the CBI would issue a fresh summons, officials said on Monday.

Apart from Vijay, the CBI had also sought the presence of Karur MLA V Senthil Balaji before the investigation team on Monday. However, his staff had refused to accept the notice, sources say. The agency then emailed him the notice seeking his presence for questioning in the case, but it received no response, they added.

Vijay was asked to appear before the agency here on March 10, but he sent a formal request seeking another date after 15 days, the officials said. He also requested the agency to question him at its Chennai office or at any other office in Tamil Nadu, they said.

Highly placed sources said the agency will consider Vijay's request to be questioned in Tamil Nadu and will issue a notice with fresh dates for questioning.

The actor was earlier questioned by the agency at its headquarters here on January 12 and 19.

During the probe, the CBI has gathered material that needs further questioning and clarification from the actor, the officials said.

The agency has yet to decide on the course of action regarding Balaji, they said.

The CBI took over the case from an SIT following a Supreme Court order and has been gathering evidence related to the September 27, 2025, stampede that occurred during Vijay's rally in Tamil Nadu's Karur, leaving 41 dead and over 60 injured.

In October last year, the apex court asked the CBI director to appoint a senior officer to take over the investigation. Also, it constituted a supervisory committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Ajay Rastogi to monitor the agency's investigation.

A bench comprising Justices J K Maheshwari and N V Anjaria had said the stampede has left an imprint in the minds of citizens throughout the country. It has wide ramifications with respect to the lives of citizens, and enforcing the fundamental rights of the families who lost their kin is of utmost importance, the court said.

"The faith and trust of the general public in the process of investigation must be restored in the criminal justice system, and one way to instil such trust is by ensuring that the investigation in the present case is completely impartial, independent and unbiased," the bench said.