Bengaluru, June 12 (UNI) The Karnataka High Court on Thursday granted interim bail to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) marketing head Nikhil Sosale and three officials of DNA Entertainment Networks in connection with the stampede that occurred at Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4 during the IPL victory celebrations.
Justice SR Krishna Kumar pronounced the interim order this afternoon, providing relief to Sosale and DNA Vice-President Sunil Mathew, Operations Manager Kiran Kumar S, and event executive Shamant NP Mavinakere, who were arrested on June 6.
The stampede, which broke out as thousands surged into the stadium for a glimpse of the RCB team after their historic IPL title win, left 11 people dead and 56 injured. The stadium, with a capacity of around 33,000, was overwhelmed by an estimated crowd of five lakh people.
The state government blamed RCB and DNA for failing to inform authorities in advance, while the organisers alleged the state failed to deploy adequate security and crowd control measures.
A criminal case was filed against RCB, DNA and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), which had authorised use of the venue.
During the hearing, senior advocate Sandesh Chouta, appearing for Sosale, argued that the arrests were carried out under political pressure from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who had earlier vowed action. He contended that the arrests were made illegally by the Central Crime Branch (CCB), even though the probe was transferred to the Crime Investigation Department (CID) a day earlier.
Chouta further submitted that the procedural rights of the accused were violated as essential arrest documents were not given at the time of detention but handed over later, after the CCB transferred custody to the local police.
Senior Advocate CV Nagesh, also representing RCB, submitted that the event was publicly endorsed by the Chief Minister himself, who had invited people to the celebrations, and hence, the onus for the stampede could not solely rest on the franchise or its organisers.
Countering the defence, Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty stated that the stadium event was private in nature and neither RCB nor DNA had sought prior permission from the government. He said the event managers failed in their duty to ensure crowd safety at the gates and surrounding areas.
He denied any political interference, asserting that the arrests were based on concrete inputs that the accused were attempting to evade the law.
On the question of jurisdiction, Shetty clarified that the CCB merely apprehended the individuals based on a request by IPS officer Hakay Akshay Machhindra, then holding additional charge as DCP (Central), after the suspension of DCP Shekhar H Tekkannavar. The formal arrests, he said, were made only after they were handed over to the jurisdictional police.
He maintained that all required legal documents were provided to the accused and their counsel without undue delay, and that the investigation was formally transferred to the CID on June 6.
Apart from Chouta and Nagesh, RCB and Sosale were also represented by senior advocate CK Nandakumar, assisted by advocates Raghuram Cadambi, Lekha Chandrasekhar, Tamoghna Manish Pallinti and Shyam Harindra.
UNI BDN PRS