Karnataka High Court Grants Interim Bail to RCB Marketing Head, Others in Chinnaswamy Stampede Case

Karnataka High Court Grants Interim Bail to RCB Marketing Head, Others in Chinnaswamy Stampede Case

Bengaluru, June 12: In a significant development in the Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede case, the Karnataka High Court has granted conditional interim bail to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Marketing and Revenue Head Nikhil Sosale and three others, including DNA Networks Director Sunil Mathe and Event Manager Kiran Kumar. They were arrested in connection with the tragic stampede outside the stadium on June 4, which claimed the lives of 11 cricket fans.

Justice S R Krishna Kumar, delivering the interim order, observed that the accused could not be detained in the absence of any substantial material indicating their direct involvement in the incident. He noted that mere social media promotion, without evidence of coordination or logistical responsibility for crowd management, was insufficient to justify continued incarceration.

The bail, however, comes with strict conditions. The petitioners have been directed to:

Cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation,
Refrain from tampering with any evidence or influencing witnesses,
Execute a personal bond of ₹1 lakh each along with two sureties, and
Deposit their passports before the trial court within two weeks of their release.

The court is also expected to pronounce its final judgment later today on the broader petitions filed by Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited and DNA Networks Private Limited. These petitions question the legality of the arrests made in the wake of the stampede during RCB’s victory celebrations, which had no official permission for public assembly.

The Division Bench, led by Acting Chief Justice V Kameshwar Rao and Justice C M Joshi, had earlier taken suo moto cognizance of the case and directed Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty to submit an action taken report in a sealed cover. The government is likely to submit this report in court later today.

Authorities had alleged that the accused promoted the event on social media despite the lack of police or administrative clearance, resulting in a massive and uncontrolled crowd gathering. This led to a deadly stampede that has sparked outrage and demands for accountability across Karnataka.

The High Court’s final verdict later this afternoon will be closely watched, as it may set a precedent on legal responsibility for crowd control and event organization in the digital era.