High Court bars coercive steps against Karnataka cricket body in stampede case

Justice SR Krishna Kumar, directing the petitioners to not leave the jurisdiction of the court without permission, also instructed KSCA officials to cooperate with the probe.

In Short

• Cricket body officials protected from arrest but must cooperate with probe
• 11 dead, 56 injured in stampede during RCB felicitation on June 4
• KSCA denies organising event, blames government, other organisers for chaos

The Karnataka High Court on Friday barred the administration from taking any coercive action against the Karnataka State Cricket Association in the Bengaluru stadium stampede case.

The high court ruling came as a big relief to the state cricket body officials who were protected from arrest after they were named in the FIR filed in the case, along with Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the event management firm DNA Entertainment Private Limited, citing various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The three organisers were booked for "criminal negligence" in the incident which claimed 11 lives with 56 others injured when a huge crowd gathered outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium during a ceremony to felicitate IPL 18 winners RCB on June 4.

The petition was filed by the cricket body's management, president Raghuram Bhat, Secretary A Shankar and Treasurer ES Jairam.

Justice SR Krishna Kumar, directing the petitioners to not leave the jurisdiction of the court without permission, also instructed them to cooperate with the probe.

"No precipitative be taken against management of Karnataka State Cricket Association till the next date of hearing, subject to condition that they shall cooperate with the investigation," Justice Kumar said.

Advocate General Shashi Kiran, representing the state, submitted that the investigation should be allowed to continue and that the police will not be arresting anybody for the time being.

To this, the petitioners' lawyer mentioned before the court that the marketing head of RCB had been arrested. "One accused was arrested at an airport. He was trying to escape. He was going to Dubai," the AG clarified.

The petitioner's counsel retorted, saying that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had himself said on Thursday that there would be arrests of the representatives of the organisers- RCB, DNA Entertainment Private Limited and the KSCA.

The KSCA argued that naming its management in the FIR was a "kneejerk reaction" by the city police at the behest of the state government, saying it was "struggling hard to take the lashes of media and severe criticism".

"There is absolutely no wrong that can be attributed to the Petitioner Committee or its office bearers as they stand aloof of any liabilities against the entire unfortunate incident. Despite having shown the gratitude by extending independent compensation from its side, the KSCA and its office bearers are put to undeserved misery by way naming them as accused of said offence," the KSCA plea submitted.

The court then assured the KSCA officials' protection from arrest and adjourned the matter to hear the petition seeking quashing of the case to June 16.

Earlier, the KSCA distanced itself from the chaos that erupted during the RCB victory celebrations, squarely blaming the state government, RCB, and event organisers for the mismanagement that led to a stampede.

In a statement, KSCA clarified that it had no role in organising the felicitation event and was neither involved in gate nor crowd management. “The decision to hold the event was taken by the government. It was conducted at Vidhana Soudha, not at Chinnaswamy Stadium,” the association said, adding that its involvement with the stadium is limited to venue rental and cricket-related affairs.

On June 4, a crowd of around two to three lakh people gathered outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru where the felicitation ceremony of RCB was going on after they lifted the IPL Season 18 title. A stampede broke out, leading to chaos and resulting in the death of 11 people.

Since then, the state government and the organisers have been pinning the blame for the chaos on each other, with a CID inquiry ordered into the matter.