Bengaluru stampede: Karnataka high court takes suo motu cognisance, to hear matter today

The stampede occurred during celebrations organised to mark Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s historic IPL 2025 title win—the team’s first in 18 years.

Updated on: Jun 5, 2025, 13:26:13 IST

By Ayesha Arvind

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The Karnataka High Court will hear later today a case related to the tragic stampede outside Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium that left 11 people dead and 47 injured on Wednesday evening.

RCB fans gathered in large numbers outside Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Wednesday to catch a glimpse of their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 champion team. (ANI)

The matter was urgently mentioned on Thursday morning before a bench comprising Acting Chief Justice V Kameswar Rao and Justice C.M. Joshi by a lawyer seeking judicial intervention.

Representing the state, Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty informed the court that authorities were taking all necessary steps and would submit a detailed factual report.

“We are taking all steps… I will get instructions and present what has been done. This is not an adversarial matter. We are as concerned as any citizen of the state to understand what went wrong. Any suggestions are welcome,” Shetty told the bench.

The court has scheduled the hearing for 2.30 PM on Thursday.

The stampede occurred during celebrations organised to mark Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s historic IPL 2025 title win—the team’s first in 18 years. Thousands of fans had gathered outside the stadium to see the players, who were expected to attend a public event.

Chaos reportedly broke out when the crowd surged forward, triggering panic and a deadly crush. Emergency responders confirmed 11 fatalities and at least 47 injuries.

The Cubbon Park Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) in connection with the incident. The FIR does not name any accused and categorises the deaths as “unnatural.” Further details on the investigation are awaited.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ayesha Arvind
Ayesha Arvind is a Senior Assistant Editor specialising in legal and judicial reportage. She covers High Courts and tribunals across southern India, and believes that important legal developments do not only come from New Delhi. Her work focuses on bringing significant decisions and developments from the region to a wider audience and explaining what they mean beyond the courtroom. She tries to make legal material accessible by translating legal jargon into clear, readable prose and putting pleas, lawsuits, judgments and legal developments in context. She also looks at their political realities and practical consequences for people. Ayesha is committed to the standards of integrity journalism requires. She places a premium on accuracy and fairness, and believes that journalism's powerful voice must be tempered by humility and a sense of proportion. Over almost two decades in journalism, she has covered law and order, civil law, crime and other areas of legal affairs. Her work includes breaking news, legal affairs stories, online analysis and commentary. Ayesha is deeply interested in the law, court judgments and the Constitution because they shape everyday life. She believes every citizen should have a basic understanding of them. What she enjoys most about covering courts is that every story brings something new to learn.Read More

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