The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has held Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) responsible for the deadly stampede outside Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium during the team's IPL 2025 victory parade, citing their failure to obtain proper police permission.
The Bengaluru bench, comprising Justice B.K. Shrivastava and administrative member Santhosh Mehra observed: "Prima facie, RCB is responsible for the gathering of about three to five lakh people... They did not take appropriate permission from the police before suddenly announcing the parade on social media."
This observation came as the tribunal quashed the Karnataka government&rsquo;s suspension order against senior IPS officer Vikash Kumar Vikash, who had challenged the June 5 action taken in the wake of the June 4 tragedy that left 11 people dead.
The tribunal criticised the lack of coordination and noted that the police had insufficient time to prepare. On the night of June 3&ndash;4, Bengaluru police were already managing massive public presence and another state function at Vidhana Soudha.
Highlighting the unrealistic expectations placed on law enforcement, the bench stated: "Police personnel are human, not gods or magicians with &lsquo;Aladdin ka Chirag&rsquo; to manage everything instantly."
The tribunal&rsquo;s ruling suggests that the hasty and unapproved announcement by RCB triggered the chaos, rather than police mismanagement. Two other IPS officers, including Bengaluru Police Commissioner B. Dayananda, were also suspended post-incident.
The case has reignited debates over accountability, public safety, and the use of social media by large organisations during mass events.
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Tribunal Blames RCB for Fatal Stampede at Parade

RCB held responsible for crowd surge without police nod; IPS officer’s suspension order quashed.

Tribunal Blames RCB for Fatal Stampede at Parade

RCB held responsible for crowd surge without police nod; IPS officer’s suspension order quashed.

July 1, 2025 | 15:35 IST