New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to issue omnibus directions on a PIL seeking comprehensive directions to prevent stampedes during large public gatherings, including religious events, political rallies and yatras.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi permitted the petitioner to pursue the matter before the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Election Commission.
At the outset, the CJI raised fundamental questions about the scope of judicial intervention in matters involving crowd management and law and order.
The bench noted that the petition filed by Tumbalam Gooty Venkatesh sought a direction to the Centre to frame and implement a binding standard operating procedure (SOP) for crowd management and safety for large public gatherings.
“Similar directions have been sought to implement SOP in political rallies across the country during the model code of conduct. The petitioner has also sought formulation for national crowd management safety code with real time updates,” the bench said, adding, “We find the issues were raised by the petitioner in representation on December 18, 2025.”