The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday declined to grant interim relief to Nikhil Sosale, the Marketing Head of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited), who was arrested in connection with the stampede at M Chinnaswamy Stadium that led to the death of 11 people.
Sosale, who was taken into custody on June 5, approached the High Court seeking urgent protection from further coercive action. His counsel, senior advocate Sandesh Chouta, argued that the arrest was illegal and invoked a recent Supreme Court ruling, emphasizing that “even a minute of unlawful custody is a violation of fundamental rights.”
Despite the submission, the court declined to extend interim protection at this stage. The matter has now been posted for further hearing on Wednesday at 10:30 AM.
In a related development, the High Court also allowed the Karnataka government to file its response in a sealed cover in the suo motu proceedings initiated in the wake of the stampede. Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty, appearing for the State, sought more time, stating, “We are not in a position to argue today… I will put it in black and white. Kindly have it at 10.30 AM.” The court accepted the request and adjourned the matter accordingly.
The stampede occurred during a public event organized to celebrate Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s recent IPL win and has raised serious questions about crowd management and event planning at major public venues.
