Published Jun 10, 2025 | 4:07 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 10, 2025 | 4:07 PM
More than 2 lakh people had arrived at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, which can accommodate only around 32,000 people, leading to the stampede.
Synopsis: The court sought to know the authority under which the CCB arrested Nikile Sosale, a day after the stampede case was transferred to the Crime Investigation Department.
Denying interim relief to Nikhil Sosale, the marketing head of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 4 June fatal stampede case, the High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday, reserved its order on his bail petition for Wednesday, 11 June.
Sosale, arrested at the Kempegowda International Airport early on 6 June, challenged the legality of the arrest, saying political interests had influenced the police.
He was travelling to Dubai when the Central Crime Branch arrested him.
As many as 11 people were killed and 56 others injured in the stampede that occurred during the RCB’s IPL victory celebrations.
Sosale’s counsel, Senior Advocate Sandesh J Chouta, told the Single Bench of Justice SR Krishna Kumar that the RCB official’s arrest was illegal since the probe into the stampede had already been transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department.
Citing Section 55 of the Bharatiya Nagaraik Suraksha Sanhita and referring to an earlier Supreme Court observation in the Vihaan Kumar vs the state of Haryana case, Chouta said the CCB lacked the power to arrest Sosale since it had been notified in writing.
“In our case, the arrest has taken place at 4.30 am and not by Cubbon Park police but by the Central Crime Branch at the airport,” Chouta submitted. “This arrest has not happened based on any investigation but on orders of the chief minister,” the advocate submitted before the court a day earlier.
Justice Kumar also sought to know how the CCB came into the picture, and also demanded the notification transferring the case to the CID. The case was originally registered by the Cubbon Park Police, under whose jurisdiction the tragic incident had occurred.
The court reserved its order on Sosale’s plea for Wednesday, 11 June.
Earlier, arguing before a Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice V Kameshwar Rao and Justice CM Joshi, Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty said the Karnataka State Cricket Association was “real culprits” in the case.
He also sought the court’s permission to submit a detailed report in a sealed envelope. The court allowed the request, and directed to filed the report on or before Thursday, 12 June.
