Embarrassment to govt not reason to suspend: ACP Vikash Kumar to Karnataka High Court in Chinnaswamy stampede case

Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) Vikash Kumar Vikash on Friday told the Karnataka High Court that his suspension by the State government following the Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede was a classic case of a 'damned if you do and damned if you don't' approach [State of Karnataka v. Vikash Kumar Vikash and ors].

The submission was made before a Bench of Justices SG Pandit and TM Nadaf, which was hearing the State's appeal challenging a Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) that had revoked the suspension.

Senior Advocate Dhyan Chinnappa appeared for ACP Kumar and questioned the State's argument that the cops it had suspended after the stampede had behaved like "servants of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)" when they made security arrangements for the RCB victory parade, which led to the stampede, despite there being no proper application to permit such an event.

"They (State) said, 'who are they (police) to put bandobast?' Is that the stand of the government? Government said (in a suo motu case), we have done everything possible, that they had police officials at every point etc. And now they say (something completely different...If State's argument is accepted, it is a classic case of (of the age-old adage) 'damned if you do, damned if you don't," Chinnappa argued.

He also referred to the State's submission that the suspended cops had caused embarrassment to the government and had failed to discuss the matter with higher-ups before making the security arrangements for the parade.

"Commissioner of Police was handling this, he is the head (of police). Who are these higher ups we have to go to apart from this? Embarrassment to government can't be reason to suspend anyone," Chinnappa said.

He further accused the State of suspending police officials even before they had any material to show that there was a dereliction of duty.

"Today, you are castigating a person before even knowing, just to show everything in good light before Court," he added.

Chinnappa is yet to conclude his submissions. Today he sought some more time to place some more case laws before the Court. The hearing will continue on July 21.

The State's submissions are led by Senior Advocate PS Rajagopal.

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