A tragic stampede at Tirupati’s Tirumala temple, which claimed six lives, has drawn severe criticism and legal scrutiny. The incident occurred during the ‘Utthara Dwaram Darshan’ (exit gate darshan), where a small mistake led to chaos, resulting in the loss of innocent lives. The Andhra Pradesh High Court has now stepped in, issuing crucial directions to ensure accountability and justice for the victims.
The stampede took place as devotees rushed to exit the temple after darshan. A minor error in crowd management escalated into a deadly situation, leaving six people dead and several injured. The incident has raised serious questions about the administration’s preparedness and the role of officials in managing large gatherings at religious sites.
Following the tragedy, the Andhra Pradesh government ordered a judicial inquiry to investigate the incident. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was also filed in the Andhra Pradesh High Court, seeking accountability from the authorities.
During the hearing, the High Court expressed strong disapproval of including the Governor’s Secretary and the Chief Minister as respondents in the case. The court questioned how they could be held directly responsible for the stampede. Instead, it directed the petitioner to remove their names from the list of respondents and focus on the officials directly involved in the incident.
The bench, comprising Justice K. Suresh Reddy and Justice Kuncham Maheswar Rao, issued the following directions:
1. The petitioner must amend the petition as per the objections raised by the registry.
2. The names of the Governor’s Secretary and the Chief Minister should be removed from the list of respondents.
3. The case has been adjourned to January 22 for further hearing.
The court emphasized that the focus should be on identifying the lapses in crowd management and ensuring such tragedies are prevented in the future.
The AP state government, represented by the Chief Secretary and other officials, has been named as respondents in the case. The High Court’s intervention highlights the need for a thorough investigation into the roles of the temple administration and local authorities in managing the crowd.
