The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday directed the state police not to file the final investigation report (chargesheet) against Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and event management firm DNA Entertainment without prior court approval. This directive relates to the June 4 stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium, which left 11 people dead and over 50 injured.
Justice S R Krishna Kumar passed the order after legal counsel for RCB and DNA informed the court that they have been fully cooperating with the investigation into the three suo motu FIRs registered against them and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) following the incident. The petitioners argued that filing a final report or chargesheet at this stage would cause them “irreparable harm.”
Although the state government indicated that the police are expected to need at least a month to complete the investigation, the court emphasized that regardless of the timeline, no final report is to be submitted without its permission.
The court also extended interim relief granted earlier, which prevents the arrest of those named as accused in the case. The matter is scheduled to be heard next on August 5.
In a separate legal move, RCB approached the High Court on Tuesday challenging certain “prejudicial observations” made by the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) in its July 1 order. These remarks were made while CAT quashed the suspension of ACP Vikash Kumar Vikash, one of five police officers suspended for alleged crowd control lapses following the stampede.
The CAT, while reinstating the officer, stated that RCB appeared “prima facie responsible” for the incident. It noted that RCB and its event partner DNA Entertainment had not secured appropriate permissions and had unilaterally announced the victory event on Instagram without prior intimation to authorities.
RCB has now sought to have those comments struck from the CAT order, stating that it was neither a party to the proceedings nor given a chance to present its defense. The franchise argued that the remarks were in violation of natural justice and could prejudice ongoing and future legal matters.
RCB contended that the responsibility for obtaining police permissions and making related arrangements rested with KSCA and DNA, as per their agreement. The High Court is yet to schedule a hearing on this petition.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka government has filed its own appeal against CAT’s decision to reinstate ACP Vikash. That appeal is slated to be heard on July 9.
