The Karnataka government has told the High Court that the tragic stampede at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium, which left 11 people dead, occurred during an “illegal” event for which no permissions had been granted. Karnataka Advocate General (AG) Shashi Kiran Shetty made this submission on Wednesday, June 11, during a hearing on a plea filed by Nikhil Sosale, the marketing head of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Nikhil was arrested on June 5 in connection with the incident and has challenged the legality of his arrest.
Justice SR Krishna Kumar, who is hearing the case, has reserved interim relief orders for Thursday, June 12.
Appearing for Nikhil, Senior Advocate Sandesh Chouta argued that individual employees should not be held liable when a corporate entity is named in the first information report (FIR).
However, AG Shashi Kiran Shetty maintained that the organisers failed to obtain any required permissions for the event. “One hour before RCB won the final match, they said we would like to hold a victory parade if they win. No permission was sought, they only gave us an intimation letter about the event they had planned. It is against the rules,” the AG said.
He added that the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) informed the government at 6.30 pm on June 3, while RCB made a public announcement about the parade at 11.30 pm the same night, after their win. “They have over 28 lakh followers. They have invited the whole world, but no permission was given… They have come to court with unclean hands, showing as if the programme is done by the state government. It was RCB’s function,” the AG told the court.
The AG further stated that under a tri-partite agreement between RCB, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and KSCA, under which RCB and its event partner DNA Entertainment were responsible for gate management, ticketing, and private security.
In response to a query from the bench, AG Shetty clarified that two types of licenses are required to host an event at the stadium, neither of which were obtained. Hosting an unauthorised gathering, he added, is punishable under section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Karnataka Police Act.
“My submission is that in view of the various tweets and large no of people gathering and not managing the gates properly people got injured,” he said.
On the matter of Nikhil’s arrest, the AG claimed that he had been attempting to flee. However, Nikhil’s counsel questioned the jurisdiction of the police who detained him, arguing that the arrest documentation was delayed by 10 hours, rendering it unlawful.
Nikhil’s counsel further alleged that he was arrested solely on the Chief Minister’s public instruction, issued the day prior. The AG, he noted, did not deny this but dismissed the concern as irrelevant.