Published Jun 06, 2025 | 5:29 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 06, 2025 | 5:29 PM
Karnataka High Court. (Creative Commons)
Synopsis: The Karnataka State Cricket Association said it had only a limited role, and managing the crowd was the responsibility of RCB and the event management company.
The High Court of Karnataka on Friday, 6 June, interim order, directing the state police not to initiate any coercive action against the officials of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) until further orders in the Bengaluru stampede case.
While providing respite to KSCA, the court posted the case for further hearing on 16 June.
A single bench of Justice S R Krishna Kumar issued the directive while hearing a petition by the KSCA managing committee. The petitioners sought an order quashing a first information report filed at the Cubbon Park Police Station on the stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The FIR was filed on Thursday, 5 June.
As many as 11 people were killed in the stampede when a huge crowd arrived at the stadium to celebrate the Royal Challengers Bengaluru team’s IPL win on Wednesday, 4 June. More than 50 people were injured in the incident.
The police have charged the KSCA under sections 105, 115(2), 118(1), 118(2), read with section 3(5), 190, 132, 125(a) 125(b) of the BNS.
The petitioners, including KSCA President Raghuram Bhat, Secretary A Shankar, and Treasurer ES Jairam, said the Association was involved in the felicitation event, and IPL events were conducted by the RCB through M/s DNA Network Private Limited, an event management company.
The petition said the KSCA, affiliated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India, had only a limited role, like providing the venue, related infrastructure, and facilitating government permissions.
The Association further stated that the crowd management was the responsibility of the IPL franchise, RCB. The petitioners further said the incident was an accident caused by a sudden surge of people.
“The FIR particularly naming the Petitioners along with RCB and DNA, is to keep someone in particular on the seat of guilt so that those objections and hate of the public against all the Government heads/ several ministers who are being accused of being responsible for the catastrophe be diverted they escape the wrath,” Live Law quoted from the petition.
It added that the police registered the FIR under immense pressure and without making carrying out any preliminary investigation.
Meanwhile, the Bengaluru Police on Friday, 6 June, arrested RCB marketing head Nikhil Sosale and three officials of DNA in connection with the stampede.
