In a courtroom balancing act between justice and reputation, the Karnataka High Court has hit the brakes on police action against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), DNA Entertainment, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), and others linked to the tragic Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede—at least for now.
A bench led by Justice SR Krishna Kumar passed an interim order directing the State to not file a final report or chargesheet without the Court’s explicit go-ahead. This came in response to petitions by the accused, who want the very foundation of the case—the FIRs—quashed before anything further proceeds.
The Court agreed that rushing into chargesheets could render the petitions meaningless. For now, investigation can roll on, but any official charges must wait. Arrests remain off the table as well, with interim protection extended till August 5.
The event in question, held on June 4, was supposed to be a jubilant celebration—RCB’s first IPL title win in 18 long years. Instead, it turned into a deadly crush outside Chinnaswamy Stadium, where over five lakh fans surged toward a venue that can only hold 33,000. Eleven people lost their lives. Fifty-six more were injured.
Who’s to blame? That’s where the finger-pointing begins. The State says organizers failed to notify authorities. Organizers say officials failed to manage the crowd despite clear signals of an impending overload. FIRs flew, names were listed—including RCB’s marketing head, Nikhil Sosale—and now the legal battle is in full swing.
DNA’s counsel, urging a faster hearing, flagged that ongoing criminal proceedings were damaging its business prospects—many of its contracts contain strict “no criminal case” clauses. While the Court considered taking up DNA’s plea separately on July 29, it ultimately bundled all petitions together for hearing on August 5, after the State said a unified response was necessary.
Until then, the spotlight remains on the Court, the State, and a stampede that turned celebration into catastrophe—leaving reputations, and responsibilities, under scrutiny.
