Karnataka High Court to hear case on Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede today

The Karnataka High Court has agreed to hear later today a case concerning the stampede that took place outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium at Bengaluru yesterday, which had led to the death of 11 people. .The matter was mentioned this morning before a Bench of Acting Chief Justice V Kameswar Rao and Justice CM Joshi..Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty appeared for the State and assured that it is taking steps to address the issue. "We are taking all steps. We will submit a report . I will get instructions. I will place what we have done, just on facts what has happened. We are only assisting, there is no adversarial (approach). We are as eager as any citizen of the State. If there is any suggestion, let them pass it on," he said. .The Court said it would take up the matter at 2.30 PM..According to reports, 11 people died and over 47 people were left injured after a stampede took place outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium yesterday, where a large crowd had gathered to greet the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) cricket team after they won the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Tuesday. Celebrations had been planned in Bengaluru to mark RCB's first victory in 18 years, and the team was slated to arrive at the stadium to meet fans on Wednesday. It is reported that fees were initially charged for entry into the stadium. However, after it was allegedly announced late in the day that free entry would be permitted, large crowds thronged the stadium's gates, leading to a stampede and the tragic loss of lives. .A public interest litigation (PIL) petition has now been filed over the incident before the High Court, which seeks the conduct of an unbiased inquiry, supervised by a sitting judge, into the matter."Given the grave nature of the incident and the possibility of systemic administrative failures, it is imperative that an impartial judicial enquiry be conducted under the supervision of a sitting judge of this Hon’ble Court," the plea stated..The petition has been moved by a lawyer named Lohith G Hanumapura, through his counsel, advocate Lohitaswa Banakar.The State government has already ordered a magisterial inquiry into the matter. However, the petitioner has argued that such an inquiry lacks the independence and scope required to examine "the multiple layers of administrative failure and accountability in this matter."The petitioner has contended that a failure of the State machinery led to the stampede. He highlighted that the State was fully aware that RCB has a big fan base. Despite this, it proceeded to conduct the victory celebrations in a hurried manner, without making adequate safety arrangements, the petitioner has submitted. "State authorities, including the police and BBMP, and stadium management, failed to implement adequate crowd control, traffic regulation, medical preparedness, and emergency exits. There is prima facie evidence of criminal negligence and dereliction of duty on part of public functionaries. No formal public accountability process has been initiated to investigate this failure and to ensure non-repetition," his plea said..Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Shobha Karandlaje, who presently serves as Union Minister of State for the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ministry of MSM Enterprises, has also written a letter to the High Court on the issue, urging it to take suo motu action. She has raised concerns that the Congress-led State government is trying to disown any responsibility for the stampede and trying to cover up for those whose mismanagement led to the tragic incident. "The magisterial inquiry ordered by the Chief Minister, headed by the Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban - an officer who is answerable to the same administration under scrutiny - is inherently biased and lacks public credibility. Such an internal probe cannot be expected to conduct an impartial and independent investigation into the incident. In view of the above, I humbly urge this Hon'ble Court to kindly take suo moto cognizance of this tragic incident under its extraordinary jurisdiction and treat it as a matter of Public Interest. This tragedy is not just a result of an accident- it is a consequence of systemic failure and the complete collapse of state responsibility," the letter stated.