Bengaluru, Jun 24 (PTI) The Karnataka High Court on Monday appointed Senior Advocate S Susheela as amicus curiae in the case relating to the tragic stampede at Chinnaswamy stadium here on June 4, which claimed 11 lives.
A division bench led by Acting Chief Justice V Kameswar Rao and Justice C M Joshi directed that all pertinent materials, including the state government’s status reports currently submitted in a sealed cover, be shared with the amicus.
The court has tasked senior advocate Susheela with advising whether these reports should remain confidential or can be disclosed — either fully or selectively — to the other parties involved.
The state, represented by Advocate General (AG) Shashi Kiran Shetty, had argued against disclosing the contents for now, citing concerns that publicising preliminary findings may hinder the ongoing magisterial and judicial commission inquiries.
The AG had previously appealed to the high court to prevent the matter from descending into political blame games and to avoid premature conclusions.
However, other parties have pressed for greater transparency, with intervention applications seeking to make the report public.
The court refrained from taking a decision on this issue immediately and instead sought the amicus’ guidance.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on July 1.
Another key issue the court intends to examine in upcoming hearings is the compensation for victims and their families.
Senior Advocate S S Naganand on Monday requested that the court make a note, directing entities who have voluntarily pledged compensation to fulfil those promises.
While the bench refrained from passing specific directives on compensation during the day’s hearing, it acknowledged the submission and said that those involved could treat the observation as a reminder to act accordingly.
The stampede occurred when an estimated five lakh people flooded the stadium premises hoping to meet players of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team following their maiden IPL championship victory. The Chinnaswamy Stadium, with a seating capacity of only 33,000 was overwhelmed by the surge, resulting in the deadly chaos.
The state government has accused the event organisers of failing to inform authorities and of proceeding without necessary crowd control arrangements. In turn, the organisers have blamed the state for inadequate crowd management measures.
A criminal case was registered against officials from RCB, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), and DNA, the event management firm.
Several individuals, including DNA Vice-President Sunil Mathew and Operations Manager Kiran Kumar S, were arrested on June 6 but were later granted interim bail.
The Karnataka HC has recently directed the police to avoid arresting additional representatives from RCB and DNA for the time being.
RCB, KSCA, and DNA have since been formally added as respondents in the suo motu case. Their legal representatives were present in court on Monday, and they have been directed to submit their responses.