The Karnataka High Court on Monday appointed Senior Advocate S. Susheela as amicus curiae in the ongoing suo motu proceedings concerning the tragic stampede at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4, which left 11 people dead.
A division bench led by Acting Chief Justice V. Kameswar Rao and Justice C.M. Joshi tasked the amicus with reviewing confidential status reports submitted by the state government in a sealed cover. The court directed that all relevant material be shared with Advocate Susheela, who will advise whether the reports can be disclosed fully or partially to other parties or should remain confidential for now.
The state government, represented by Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty, opposed immediate disclosure of the reports, expressing concern that publicising preliminary findings could impede the ongoing magisterial and judicial commission inquiries. The AG also urged the court to ensure the matter does not devolve into political blame games.
However, other intervenors have sought greater transparency, filing applications to make the findings public. The High Court has reserved its decision on this issue, pending the amicus‘s recommendation.
The next hearing is scheduled for July 1, where the bench is also expected to examine the issue of compensation for victims and their families. Senior Advocate S.S. Naganand urged the court to note the commitments made by various individuals and organisations offering compensation, and to direct that these pledges be honoured. While no formal direction was passed, the court said its observation should serve as a reminder to the parties concerned.
The stampede took place when an estimated five lakh fans gathered at the stadium premises to meet Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) players celebrating their maiden IPL title. The stadium, which seats only 33,000, was overwhelmed, leading to a chaotic and deadly crush.
The state has accused the event organisers of failing to notify authorities and of proceeding without adequate crowd control arrangements. In contrast, the organisers have blamed state agencies for poor crowd management.
A criminal case has been registered against representatives from RCB, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), and DNA Entertainment Networks, the event management firm. DNA officials, including Vice-President Sunil Mathew and Operations Manager Kiran Kumar S, were arrested on June 6 but later granted interim bail. The High Court has also directed police not to arrest further representatives of RCB and DNA for the time being.
