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Karnataka HC bars government from filing final report in Bengaluru stampede case without permission
The Karnataka HC has directed the government to refrain from filing the final report in the Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede case without prior court approval.
In a significant development, the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday directed the state government not to file the final report in the case related to the Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede, which involved Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and event partner DNA Entertainment Networks, without the court’s prior approval.
Justice S R Krishna Kumar, who was hearing a batch of petitions connected to the tragic incident, said the matter would be heard next on August 5, and extended all interim orders passed in the previous hearings.
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“The respondent is directed not to file the final report without leave of the court,” the judge stated during the hearing, effectively restraining the state government from moving forward with the chargesheet at this stage.
The directive came after counsel for Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd (RCSPL), the company that owns the RCB franchise, argued that submitting the report prematurely could cause serious and irreversible reputational damage to the organisation. The company also asserted that it had been fully cooperating with the investigation.
Taking this into account, Justice Kumar orally instructed the state counsel, “Don’t file [the final report] without the court’s leave.”
In response, the government’s legal representative assured the bench that no immediate action would be taken, saying, “Nothing will happen in the next one week or 10 days.”
The court further noted that rushing to file the final report could prompt the petitioners to seek additional legal relief.
“If you go ahead and file, they may come back seeking amendments or fresh petitions. It’s better to complete everything before moving forward,” the judge remarked.
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During the hearing, DNA Entertainment Networks Ltd, which co-organised the event, also raised concerns. Their counsel informed the court that the FIR registered against the firm was hampering daily business, as the company had to disclose the ongoing criminal case in all contractual and commercial dealings, creating complications and reputational issues.
After hearing submissions from all parties, the bench ordered that the interim protection granted earlier would remain in force until the next hearing.
The stampede, which took place outside Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium last month during a ticketing event, left 11 people dead and several others injured, drawing widespread criticism and triggering multiple legal proceedings.
