Stadium stampede: Karnataka HC to hear RCB, DNA pleas challenging criminal cases against them on June 10

The Karnataka High Court on Monday said that it will hear on June 10 the petitions of Royal Challengers Bengaluru and DNA Entertainment Pvt Ltd challenging criminal cases against them in the stadium stampede incident.

The stampede near M Chinnaswamy Stadium, which occurred on June 4, claimed 11 lives.

On Monday, RCB and DNA Entertainment filed separate petitions challenging FIRs against them.

Royal Challengers Sports Limited (RCSL), owner of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), has contended that it has been falsely implicated in the case.

According to the petition, RCSL claimed that it had clearly communicated on social media that only limited passes were available. It also said that even for free passes, pre-registration was mandatory for entry.

It alleged that stadium gates, which were supposed to open at 1.45 pm, were actually opened only at 3 pm, causing a crowd surge.

Meanwhile, DNA said in its petition that the incident occurred due to failure of crowd management by the police. It also claimed that most police personnel were posted at the Vidhana Soudha, leaving the stadium understaffed despite a surging crowd.

Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty requested the court to hear all the petitions pertaining to stampede case together on June 10. The court agreed to give time to file objections.