The Karnataka government has apprised the Karnataka High Court that IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) was fully responsible for the deadly stampede that took place outside Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on June 4, leading to the loss of 11 lives and injuries to 56 people, as it neither took the required permissions, not made security arrangements for the event.
Opposing the bail plea of RCB’s Marketing Head Nikhil Sosale, who was arrested by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) on June 6, the state submitted on Wednesday that RCB’s last-minute social media posts, including announcements about free passes and open invitations to the team’s victory celebration, triggered the massive and unmanageable crowd buildup.
Advocate General (AG) Shashi Kiran Shetty pointed out that RCB only submitted an intimation. It neither sought the requisite permissions nor implemented the safety measures required to manage an event that ultimately drew lakhs of people.
Referring to multiple posts made from RCB’s official handle on X (formerly Twitter) between 11:30 pm on June 3 and 8:55 am on June 4, the AG said the IPL franchise announced a victory parade from Vidhana Soudha to the stadium but offered no details on ticketing, crowd control, or security arrangements. They invited lakhs of fans without specifying who could enter or what protocols applied.
Noting that it was not a state-sponsored event, the AG said the private celebration organised by RCB was completely illegal and attracted offence under the relevant provisions of the Karnataka Police Act and Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, dealing with disobedience to lawful orders.
Senior Advocate Sandesh Chouta, appearing for Sosale, argued that the marketing head was being unfairly targeted. He was merely an employee, not a decision-maker. He could not be held vicariously liable for actions taken by the company.
The Senior Counsel pointed out that Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had publicly invited people to the event, however, the AG refuted this claim.
The single-judge Bench of Justice SR Krishna Kumar asked the AG to show document pointing towards the role of Sosale in seeking permission for the event.
While mentioning a tri-partite agreement between RCB, BCCI and KSCA to underline RCB’s obligations, the AG admitted that the document did not directly implicate Sosale. However, he maintained that the state government had identified the right person for arrest based on the investigation so far.
Terming the arrest as procedurally flawed, Chouta pointed out that Sosale was arrested on June 6, even though the investigation was officially transferred to the CID on June 5.
The AG countered that local police were well within their rights to act until the handover was formally completed.
Challenging the legality of Sosale’s arrest, Chouta alleged that the same was carried out at the behest of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who exceeded his constitutional authority in criminal investigations.
Justice Kumar had earlier reserved orders on Sosale’s bail application. He is expected to pronounce the verdict today.
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