Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Tamil Nadu Notifies Statewide SOP for Large Public Gatherings

Issued on court direction after the Karur stampede, the order sets enforceable rules to balance safety with the right to assemble.

Overview

  • The SOP takes effect for events expecting over 5,000 people, with customary religious gatherings exempt and Election Commission rules taking precedence during polls.
  • Applications must reach the jurisdictional police within set windows—10 days for notified venues, 15 for non-notified sites, and 30 for events above 50,000—with orders due at least 15 days prior for very large events.
  • District Collectors will designate and annually review certified venues after PWD capacity assessments, with inputs from police and political parties to formalize suitable sites.
  • Organisers must file detailed safety plans, deploy volunteers at a minimum 1:100 ratio, accept liability for injuries or damage, and provide basics including first aid, ambulances, one toilet per 500 people, and four litres of drinking water per person per day.
  • Police deployment will follow risk-based ratios—1:200 for low risk, 1:100 for moderate, 1:50 for high—with immediate implementation directed to the DGP and an online application system mandated within six months, while a previously proposed security deposit was dropped.