Stampede deaths: HC grants bail to RCB marketing head, 3 DNA executives

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday granted interim bail to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) marketing head Nikhil Sosale and three other executives associated with the event management company DNT Entertainment Network, arrested by the Police in connection with the ghastly stampede outside of Chinnaswamy stadium on June 4 that claimed 11 lives and left scores of others injured.

Justice SR Krishna Kumar, while granting interim relief to four petitioners, commented that the arrested persons cannot remain in jail in the absence of any material linking their involvement in the sequence of events that culminated in a stampede. The court held that the petitioners cannot be held liable for the alleged offences when the FIR the Cubbon Park Police registered does not even name them as accused.

Chaos broke out after crowds of RCB fans flocked to the Chinnaswamy stadium on June 4 to see their favourite cricket stars as the team landed at the stadium to celebrate their IPL victory the previous night after a long gap of 18 years.


After the event led to confusion, deaths and injuries, the police had, on June 6, arrested DNA employees Sunil Mathew, Kiran Kumar S and Shamant NP Mavinakere, besides Sosale from the Kempegowda international airport in Bengaluru.

The court asked the petitioners to cooperate with the police investigations, not tamper with evidence and execute a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh with two sureties. They were also told to deposit their passports before the trial court within two weeks of their release.

SEALED COVER: A division bench of acting chief justice V Kameswar Rao and Justice CM Joshi on Thursday posted the suo motu case it took up into the stampede deaths to June 17 for further hearing after accepting a report in a sealed cover from the state government.

The bench told Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty. o see to it that all official communications, both offline and online (including WhatsApp chats), by all stakeholders concerned with organizing the June 4 celebrations must be kept in the custody of the Chief Secretary.