The Karnataka High Court directed the State government to place before it the material forming part of the proposed chargesheet in connection with the Bengaluru stampede case. The court asked that the material be submitted in a sealed cover for its perusal before any final report is formally filed. The direction was issued during the hearing of petitions relating to the criminal case registered after a stampede incident in Bengaluru that resulted in the loss of several lives and injuries to many others. The matter concerns an FIR filed against Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited, which manages the Royal Challengers Bengaluru IPL team, as well as the event management firm DNA Entertainment Networks Limited.
The court was hearing a batch of petitions including one filed by Nikhil Sosale, the Marketing and Revenue Head of the franchise, who has sought quashing of the FIR registered against him and other entities in relation to the incident. During the hearing, the bench noted that it had earlier directed the State not to file a final report in the case without first obtaining the permission of the court. When the matter came up for consideration, the court was informed that the investigation had progressed and that the chargesheet in the case was ready to be filed.
The judge orally observed that the court had specifically directed that the chargesheet should not be filed without obtaining leave of the court. The court pointed out that while it had permitted the investigation to continue so that the authorities could determine what had happened during the incident, this did not mean that the State was free to submit the final report without first addressing the issues raised in the petitions pending before the court. The bench stated that the matter would have to be heard and examined before any such step could be allowed.
During the course of the proceedings, the senior counsel appearing for the petitioners pointed out that an interim order had earlier been granted in their favour. The court responded by clarifying that the earlier order had allowed the investigation to continue but did not grant permission to file the chargesheet without further directions from the court. The judge emphasised that the court must hear the matter and examine the circumstances before deciding whether the chargesheet should be allowed to be filed.
The State’s counsel submitted that the chargesheet should be allowed to be filed in the matter. However, the court reiterated its earlier stance that the chargesheet could not be filed without the court’s permission. The bench observed that if the intention had been to allow both the investigation and the filing of the final report without restriction, the writ petition itself would have been dismissed earlier. Since the petition had not been dismissed and the matter remained under consideration, the court maintained that the State must seek its permission before filing the final report.
The judge further explained that the purpose of allowing the investigation to proceed was to enable the authorities to ascertain the facts and gather evidence regarding the stampede. The court stated that the permission to continue the investigation should not be interpreted as approval to proceed with filing the chargesheet. The bench indicated that it would first examine the material collected during the investigation before deciding whether the chargesheet could be formally filed.
In this context, the court stated that there was no bar on the court examining the chargesheet material itself. The judge said that the State could place the material before the court in a sealed cover so that it could be reviewed. After examining the contents, the court would determine whether there was sufficient basis to allow the filing of the chargesheet. The bench clarified that if the chargesheet were filed and subsequently challenged, it could potentially render the ongoing proceedings before the court meaningless. Therefore, the court preferred to review the material before granting any permission for filing the final report.
The court explained that the State’s hands were not tied and that it was free to present any material collected during the investigation for the court’s consideration. At the same time, the petitioners would not be able to object to the submission of such material for the limited purpose of the court’s review. The judge emphasised that the court would examine the chargesheet material carefully and decide the next course of action based on what was revealed through the investigation.
While discussing the matter, the court also made observations about the seriousness of the incident and the need for a proper examination of the events that led to the tragedy. The judge remarked that the case involved the loss of precious lives and therefore required a careful and thorough evaluation of the facts. The court indicated that if there were any flaws in the management of the event or any lapses in the arrangements that contributed to the incident, those aspects would need to be examined in detail.
The stampede had reportedly occurred in Bengaluru during celebrations related to a major sporting victory. A large number of people had gathered at the venue, and the crowd surge resulted in chaos that led to the deaths of several individuals and injuries to many others. Reports indicated that eleven people lost their lives in the incident while more than thirty others suffered injuries. The tragedy prompted the registration of a criminal case and triggered multiple legal proceedings concerning responsibility for the incident.
The FIR was registered against Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited, the entity managing the IPL franchise, as well as DNA Entertainment Networks Limited, which was involved in organising the event. The investigation into the incident was undertaken to determine whether any lapses in planning, crowd control, or event management contributed to the stampede and whether criminal liability could be attributed to those responsible for organising or supervising the event.
As part of the legal challenge, some of the individuals and entities named in the FIR approached the High Court seeking the quashing of the criminal proceedings. They argued that the allegations against them were not sustainable and requested the court to intervene and set aside the FIR. These petitions resulted in the court passing interim directions regarding the conduct of the investigation and the filing of the final report.
Earlier orders of the court had allowed the investigation to continue but restricted the authorities from filing the chargesheet without obtaining prior permission. The purpose of this direction was to ensure that the issues raised in the petitions could be properly addressed before the case progressed further in the criminal process. As the investigation progressed and the chargesheet was reportedly prepared, the State sought to proceed with filing the final report. However, the court reiterated that its earlier directions remained in force.
The judge stressed that the court would first hear the matter and examine the relevant material before granting any permission for the chargesheet to be filed. The court indicated that once the material forming part of the proposed chargesheet was placed before it in a sealed cover, it would review the contents and decide the appropriate course of action. The bench clarified that depending on what the court found during its examination, it would determine whether the chargesheet could be filed or whether any other orders were necessary.
After issuing these directions, the court listed the matter for further hearing. The bench stated that the case would be taken up again on the scheduled date and indicated its intention to hear the matter and conclude it. Until then, the earlier interim order passed by the court would continue to remain in operation. The State was directed to submit the material forming part of the proposed chargesheet in a sealed cover so that the court could examine it before deciding whether the final report should be permitted to be filed.
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