The Tamil Nadu government has released a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the regulation and management of public gatherings in the State on the directions of the Madras High Court. This comes against the backdrop of last September’s stampede which killed 41 people in Karur at a rally addressed by actor and TVK founder Vijay.
The SOP will apply to all public meetings, processions, road shows, demonstrations, protests, cultural and religious events and any other form of public gathering in Tamil Nadu where the anticipated number of participants exceeds 5,000. For events with fewer than 5,000 participants, the existing procedure for seeking permission from competent authorities will continue.
However, contrary to a proposal in an earlier draft SOP, the State did not mandate collection of security deposits from organisers of rallies and meetings in the final notification.
A Government Order dated January 5, 2026, said the SOP will not apply to religious gatherings organised as customary events in places of worship or to events where the venue or route is already fixed by established precedents.
District Collectors will notify designated places for public gatherings after consulting the respective Superintendents of Police in districts and Commissioners of Police in cities other than Chennai. In Chennai, the Commissioner of Police, Greater Chennai Police, will notify such venues in consultation with the Additional Commissioners of Police (Law and Order).
