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Scroll.in
17-06-2025
- Scroll.in
Bengaluru stampede: Karnataka HC restrains police from arresting RCB official, three others
The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday restrained Bengaluru Police from arresting or taking any coercive action against officials of Royal Challengers Bengaluru or event management company DNA in the case linked to the stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bar and Bench reported. The decision follows the High Court's June 12 ruling, which declared as ' illegal ' the arrest of Nikhil Sosale, the marketing head of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, along with event management firm DNA Entertainment Networks' Sunil Mathew, Kiran Kumar S and Shamant NP Mavinakere. The court had also granted them interim bail. They were arrested after eleven persons were killed and more than 50 were injured on June 4 in the stampede near the stadium, where fans had gathered to celebrate the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's victory in the Indian Premier League. Justice SR Krishna Kumar on Tuesday ordered the petitioners to cooperate with the investigation. He added that this arrangement will remain in effect until the next hearing on July 8. The four persons were arrested hours after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the state government had ordered the arrest of representatives from the Karnataka State Cricket Association, DNA Entertainment Networks and Royal Challengers Bengaluru for the stampede.
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Time of India
Bengaluru stampede: Deeming arrests unlawful, high court grants bail to 4 executives
Bengaluru: Karnataka high court Thursday granted conditional interim bail to RCB marketing executive Nikhil Sosale and three executives from event organisers DNA Networks, holding that the arrests lacked strong legal ground and are 'vitiated'. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The court instructed immediate release of the four individuals -- DNA Entertainment Networks' Sunil Mathew, Kiran Kumar Sand Shamant NP Mavinakere, besides Sosale -- upon receipt of the bail order. After their arrest last week, the accused had said the FIR contained only the names of their companies. The bail conditions include restrictions on witness tampering, cooperation with probes, execution of personal bonds worth Rs 1 lakh with sureties, and submission of passports within two weeks. Justice Krishna Kumar said a perusal of FIRs containing alleged offences will, prima facie, indicate that the petitioners cannot be charged with voluntarily causing hurt, unlawful assembly and using criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging duties under BNS. The court further said offences like culpable homicide and endangering life or liberty are bailable and carry a maximum punishment of three years or a fine or with both. It held the view that the grounds of arrest – no material to support charges and the petitioners are not named in FIRs -- were not justified "without any investigation prior to their arrest". At the time of petitioners' arrest, the investigating officer did not furnish checklist/documents in accordance with guidelines mandated in Arnesh Kumar and DK Basu cases. The court said the arrest of the petitioners is vitiated. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The judge said that material on record will, prima facie, indicate that the petitioners were deprived of their personal liberty by the CCB police, who directly took petitioners to the Cubbon Park police station immediately thereafter. The court said the grounds of arrest are also vitiated by the arrests carried out by CCB, which did not have jurisdiction or authority to secure arrests.
Indian Express
12-06-2025
- Indian Express
Bengaluru stampede: Karnataka High Court grants interim bail to RCB marketing head Nikhil Sosale, 3 others
A single-judge bench of the Karnataka High Court Thursday granted interim bail to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) marketing head Nikhil Sosale along with event management company DNA Entertainment's vice president Sunil Mathew, and two others in the Bengaluru stampede case. The interim bail in question was granted to the petitioners subject to their cooperation with the investigation while also refraining from threatening witnesses or hampering the investigation. They were also directed to not leave the court's jurisdiction, deposit their passports with the trial court, and execute a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh. The four accused petitioners in this case were arrested on June 6 based on three First Information Reports (FIRs) registered the previous day. Arguing for the petitioners, senior advocate Sandesh Chouta had questioned the justification for an arrest without conducting an investigation that would implicate them in said offences. It was also argued that with the case having been transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on June 5, neither the regular police nor the Central Crime Branch (CCB) had the authority to carry out arrests. It was further stated that the arrests were not based on FIRs but rather the instructions of the chief minister on June 5 at a press conference. Opposing the bail plea on behalf of the State was Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty, arguing that all necessary documents had been provided. He also stated that while the case had been officially transferred to the CID on June 5, the investigation was handed over to the agency only after the arrests. Till then, the Cubbon Park police carried out the investigation, with the CCB being deputed by them for the arrests. With regard to Sosale, he also pointed out that he appeared to have been fleeing, taking into account the time of purchase of his flight ticket and his arrest from Kempegowda International Airport. Having heard the respective arguments, the bench observed in its detailed order that to arrest without a warrant, 'It was absolutely essential for the respondent Police to receive credible information that the petitioners had committed a cognizable offence punishable with imprisonment for more than seven years and the respondents should have also recorded reasons to believe in writing on the basis of the said credible information that the petitioners had committed the alleged offences.' The court went on to observe that in absence of material or an investigation to establish this, or their specific role in the offences, the arrests appeared to be contrary to law. The high court also did not accept the State's contentions with regard to the timing of transfer of the case to the CID, which was based on a 2015 State circular that existing investigating officers should continue investigation until the CID takeover, noting that it was, 'applicable only to the cases where there was incomplete documentation by the local investigation officers who have been directed to continue investigation in relation to mandatory provisions like post-mortem examination, etc.' While granting interim bail in this order, the judge also noted that since there appeared to be a delay of 10-11 hours after arrest in communicating grounds of arrest to the accused petitioners, the arrest appeared to stand vitiated. Eleven people died in a stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru earlier this month during the felicitation event for the RCB following their maiden title victory in the Indian Premier League.
Scroll.in
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Scroll.in
Bengaluru stampede: Karnataka HC orders interim release of RCB marketing head, three others
The Karnataka High Court on Thursday ordered the interim release of the marketing head of Indian Premier League team Royal Challengers Bengaluru and three others who were arrested in connection with the stampede outside Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium, Live Law reported. Eleven persons were killed and more than 50 were injured on June 4 in the stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where fans had gathered to celebrate the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's victory in the Indian Premier League. On June 5, the court took suo motu cognisance of the incident and issued notice to the Congress government in the state. It also sought a status report from the Karnataka government. A day later, the Karnataka Police arrested Nikhil Sosale, the marketing head of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, along with event management firm DNA Entertainment Networks' Sunil Mathew, Kiran Kumar S and Shamant NP Mavinakere in connection with the stampede. On Thursday, Justice SR Krishna Kumar ordered the interim release of the four men, and directed them to surrender their passports, Live Law reported. During the hearing on Wednesday, Sosale's counsel argued that individuals cannot be held liable when an entity is named in the first information report, and claimed the arrests were made without proper investigation. The petitioners also argued that their arrests were politically motivated and made allegedly on the directions of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, despite the police lacking jurisdiction over the case, The Hindu reported. In response, Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty, representing the state of Karnataka argued that Royal Challengers Bengaluru held the victory parade without official permission and misled the public through social media posts. 'They have over 28 lakh followers milords,' Shetty was quoted as saying by the legal news outlet. 'They have invited the whole world but no permission is given.'
Hindustan Times
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Bengaluru stampede: Karnataka HC directs release of RCB's marketing head Nikhil Sosale, others
The Karnataka High Court on Thursday ordered interim release of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) marketing head Nikhil Sosale and three others arrested in connection with the June 4 stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, which claimed 11 lives, news agency PTI reported. The other accused, Sunil Mathew, Kiran Kumar S, and Shamant N P Mavinakere, are officials from DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt Ltd, the event management company that organised the victory celebration for RCB's maiden IPL title win. Justice S R Krishna Kumar, who heard arguments on June 11, passed the order while directing all four to surrender their passports. The four were arrested on June 6 and were in judicial custody. On June 9, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) produced them before a magistrate court seeking nine days' custody, but the court deferred the decision pending the High Court's verdict. (Also Read: Bengaluru stampede: CID withdraws custody plea for RCB marketing head Nikhil Sosale and others) On Tuesday, the Karnataka Criminal Investigation Department (CID) withdrew its request for the custodial interrogation of four individuals linked to the stampede outside Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium, Indian Express reported. The CID had initially sought nine days' custody of the accused to investigate lapses in planning and crowd control at the event. However, the move was challenged by senior advocate Sandesh Chouta, representing RCB's Head of Marketing, Nikhil Sosale, who pointed out that the matter was already under consideration by the High Court. The magistrate hearing the case also questioned the urgency of the CID's request, asking what could be achieved in just one day of custody before the High Court's verdict was expected. CID's Assistant Superintendent of Police, Jagadeesh, defended the need for interrogation, citing its relevance to investigating how the tragedy unfolded, the report added.
