The Karnataka High Court on Thursday granted interim bail to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Head of Marketing Nikhil Sosale and three officials of DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt Ltd, who were arrested in connection with the tragic stampede that occurred outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4, resulting in the deaths of 11 individuals.
Justice S R Krishna Kumar, who had reserved orders after hearing the matter on June 11, directed the release of the four accused — Nikhil Sosale, Sunil Mathew, Kiran Kumar S, and Shamant N P Mavinakere — on interim bail. The Court further ordered that all four must surrender their passports as a condition of their release.
The accused were taken into custody on June 6 and had been in judicial remand since. On June 9, the Karnataka Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which is probing the incident, presented the accused before a magistrate court and sought nine days of custodial interrogation. However, the court deferred its decision in light of the pending High Court proceedings.
According to a report by The Indian Express, the CID subsequently withdrew its application for custodial interrogation on June 11. During the earlier hearing, Assistant Superintendent of Police Jagadeesh had argued that custodial interrogation was necessary to uncover the circumstances and lapses in crowd management that led to the fatal incident. The magistrate, however, questioned the timing and urgency of seeking custody just a day before the High Court’s verdict was expected.
Senior advocate Sandesh Chouta, representing Sosale, had challenged the CID’s application, highlighting that the matter was already under active consideration by the High Court and questioning the rationale behind seeking brief custodial interrogation.
The case pertains to a stampede that broke out when thousands gathered at the stadium to attend RCB’s victory celebration after the team clinched its maiden IPL title. Preliminary reports suggest lapses in planning, crowd control, and coordination by the event organisers, which allegedly led to overcrowding and chaos.
