The Karnataka High Court on Monday, July 14 ordered the state government to publicly disclose its status report on the tragic stamped incident that took place outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on June 4. Royal Challengers BangaloreS (RCB) IPL victory ceremony. As a result of the stampede, 11 people died and more than 50 were injured.
After the stampede, the state government submitted a status report in a seal cover, requesting that it remained confidential. The report was part of a sootu public interest litigation launched to evaluate accountability and suggest preventive measures for future public functions. The government mentioned that the disclosure may affect the inquiry of the magisterial and judicial commission running in the incident.
However, a division bench consisting of acting Chief Justice V Kamamwar Rao and Justice CM Joshi dismissed the state's plea for secrecy. The bench ruled that the content of the report had only the perception of the facts of the government and the approach required for seal cover conservation was not met, which applies only in matters associated with national security, public interest or privacy rights.
The court emphasized that senior officials who interrogate retired judges and senior officials are expected to be fair and are unlikely to be affected by the report. The High Court directed the state to share the report with translations, if necessary, with the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), RCB and DNA entertainment networks, which were involved in organizing the program. These parties are expected to help the court to better understand the events that caused the tragedy, due to the mass mismanagement of the crowd, and whether the disaster could be prevented.
RCB, DNA officials testify
The decision came after the presentations by Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty, who claimed that the seal cover was necessary until all the formal inquiry was over. However, Amicus Curia S. Sushila spoke about the lack of legal factors for delay and the need for transparency.
The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) had held RCB accountable to attract a crowd of about three to five lakh people through the announcements of the irregular victory parade on social media earlier. The tribunal insisted that RCB proceeded without necessary permissions, contributed to anarchy. The Bengaluru police officers, including Inspector General Vikash Kumar, were rejected for the failure of duty, a decision that remains under the review.
Meanwhile, RCB and DNA officials have testified as part of the CID investigation. The RCB, which initially announced an increased compensation for the families of the victims and the establishment of a relief fund, RCB Care, has not issued any update since the tragedy.
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