On Thursday, the Karnataka High Court temporarily granted bail to Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s marketing head, Nikhil Sosale, and three employees of DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt. Ltd., in relation to the June 4 stampede near Chinnaswamy Stadium during RCB’s IPL victory procession. Justice S.R. Krishna Kumar approved the interim release of Sosale, Sunil Mathew, Kiran Kumar S, and Shamant N.P. Mavinakere, instructing them to surrender their passports.
The court had reserved its decision on Wednesday after hearing pleas from the accused, who contested the legality of their arrests. Advocate Sandesh Chouta, representing Sosale, argued that liability cannot be passed to employees when the FIR names organizations. He contended the arrests were unjustified.
However, Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty, arguing for the State, claimed RCB failed to obtain proper permits. He presented social media posts by RCB inviting fans to join the celebration on June 4, stating the club had over 2.8 million followers and created public hype without official clearance. He emphasized that KSCA had merely informed authorities about a potential event on June 3 at 6:30 pm, while RCB made announcements much later, around 11:30 pm.
The AG further alleged that Sosale attempted to abscond, booking a flight late at night and being detained early June 6. Two other suspects were arrested near Hoskote. The State insisted that proper documentation was provided, disputing claims of procedural delays.
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