The Karnataka High Court has told the State government to share its status report on the Bengaluru stampede incident with all concerned parties, including Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), the Karnataka State Cricket Association, and DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt. Ltd. The Court rejected the government’s request to keep the report in a sealed cover.
A bench led by Acting Chief Justice V Kameswar Rao and Justice C M Joshi said that sealed cover submissions are allowed only in cases related to national security, public interest, or privacy. The Court clearly stated, This case does not fall into any of those categories. The report contains facts as seen by the government and those won’t change just because other inquiries are going on.
The State had argued that the report should stay confidential until the Magisterial and Judicial Commission reports are ready, as early disclosure might influence their findings. But the Court rejected this and said, “Experienced officers like a retired High Court judge and an IAS officer will not be influenced by such reports.”
Amicus Curiae S. Susheela opposed the sealed cover move. She said the public has the right to know the facts and that hiding the report is unfair to other parties. She referred to a Supreme Court judgment which said sealed cover practice goes against transparency and fairness. The Court agreed with her view.
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Other senior lawyers representing different parties also said the sealed cover request was unfair and went against natural justice. They stressed that everyone involved should get access to the same information so they can respond properly.
The Advocate General, Shashi Kiran Shetty, and Senior Advocate Udaya Holla had asked the Court to wait 10-15 more days until the inquiry reports are ready. They said this delay would protect the investigation. But the Court said this argument had no strong legal ground and was not acceptable.
The Court also noted that even the documents the State wanted to keep hidden had no valid reason for secrecy. These were old documents and not part of any ongoing investigation.
The judges said, This case is about understanding why the stampede happened, whether it could have been prevented, and how to stop such incidents in the future. To do that, all sides must have access to the facts.
Case title: SUO MOTU v/s THE STATE OF KARNATAKA
Case No: WP 16530/2025