The Karnataka High Court has directed the State government not to proceed with filing a chargesheet in the Bengaluru stampede case without seeking prior permission from the court. This interim order comes in connection with a batch of petitions filed by Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL), which manages the IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), and DNA Entertainment Networks Private Limited, an event management firm.
The case pertains to the stampede incident that took place in Bengaluru, for which an FIR was registered against both companies. During the hearing on Tuesday, July 8, Justice S.R. Krishna Kumar passed an interim direction after considering submissions from all parties involved.
"Relist on August 5, meanwhile respondent is directed not to file final report without leave of the court. Interim order granted earlier in all the petitions is extended till next date of hearing," stated the court in its dictated order.
Senior counsel appearing for RCSPL informed the court that the company had been cooperating with the investigation. He expressed concern that filing a chargesheet at this stage would cause irreparable harm to the company’s reputation and ongoing operations.
In response, the court orally observed, "Don't file without leave of court." The State counsel, appearing on behalf of the investigating authorities, assured the court that no developments requiring urgent action would take place in the next week or ten days.
Further addressing the procedural aspect, the court noted, "Otherwise if you file, then they (petitioners) will say permit us to amend, fresh petition. So you complete everything."
The State’s counsel further informed the bench that investigators would require at least one month to complete the inquiry and reiterated that no action would be taken in the interim that might affect the petitioners.
Counsel for DNA Networks also submitted that the pendency of a criminal case has severely impacted the company’s daily business operations. He explained that the firm is required to declare the existence of a pending criminal case in every contractual engagement, which adversely affects their reputation and ability to secure new work.
After briefly hearing all parties, the court decided to adjourn the matter. It also continued the operation of the interim relief that had been granted earlier in favour of the petitioners.
Case title: ROYAL CHALLENGERS SPORTS PRIVATE LIMITED AND ANOTHER STATE OF KARNATAKA AND OTHERS &
M/S DNA ENTERTAINMENT NETWORKS PRIVATE LIMITED AND STATE OF KARNATAKA AND OTHERS and batch
WP 16460/2025
WP 16452/2025