17 July,2025 06:04 PM IST | Bengaluru | mid-day online correspondent
RCB fans stand next to abandoned shoes and a fallen barrier following a stampede during celebrations. File pic
The Karnataka government on Thursday defended the suspension of Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Vikash Kumar before the High Court (HC), arguing that he and his colleagues acted as though they were "servants of RCB" while making arrangements for the Indian Premier League (IPL) victory celebration, which led to a stampede that left 11 people dead and 33 injured.
According to news agency PTI, senior counsel PS Rajagopal, representing the state, told the court that Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) had submitted a proposal to the police regarding the victory celebrations even before the final IPL match took place. However, instead of obtaining formal authorisation for such a large public gathering, police officers began making security arrangements without consulting their superiors or confirming the necessary permissions.
"When RCB made a last-minute request to hold a victory parade, police officers began making arrangements as if they were servants of RCB, without even checking for the necessary permissions," Rajagopal said.
"The most obvious response from the IPS officer should have been: 'You haven't taken permission. Then, RCB would have had to approach the High Court, and the law would have taken its course," he added.
Rajagopal asserted that this failure to act responsibly led to significant operational lapses and a serious dereliction of duty, reported PTI. He further questioned the practicality of making arrangements for such a large crowd in under 12 hours, noting the lack of proactive steps taken by the suspended officer during that time.
The counsel cited Section 35 of the Karnataka State Police Act, which empowers the police to take necessary action, and criticised the officers for not utilising that authority. Rajagopal also noted that no senior-level consultation had taken place, and the officers were placed under interim suspension to prevent further harm.
When the bench, comprising Justices SG Pundit and TM Nadaf, inquired about the security arrangements inside the stadium, Rajagopal responded that the state police had handled security there, admitting that the arrangements were clearly inadequate. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the Central Administrative Tribunal's (CAT) reasoning for quashing the suspension, especially its remarks sympathising with the limitations of the police, reported PTI.
Reading from the CAT's order, Rajagopal criticised the tribunal's comment that "police personnel are also human beings, not God or magicians," calling it an inappropriate narrative more suited to storytelling by grandparents. "This is not what litigants expect from a judicial forum," he remarked.
The state's submissions were made during its challenge to the CAT's July 1 order, which had quashed the suspension of Vikash Kumar and directed his immediate reinstatement with full pay and allowances. The tribunal had concluded that there was insufficient evidence of negligence and remarked that the police had very little time to react to RCB's sudden social media announcement of the celebration.
The CAT also acknowledged that crowd control for an estimated 3 lakh to 5 lakh people required far more time and preparation than the police had available. Despite recognising that RCB's actions triggered the crowd build-up, the Tribunal held that the police could not be expected to perform miracles.
Following the tribunal's order, Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty informed the court on July 2 that Vikash had resumed his duties. However, the court refused to stay the CAT's ruling and listed the matter for a detailed hearing the next day.
The following day, a division bench questioned if the suspension was truly necessary and suggested that a departmental shift might have sufficed.
The advocate general maintained that the suspension was well-supported by records and sought a stay on the CAT's ruling.
Senior Counsel Dhyan Chinnappa, representing Vikash, assured the court that no contempt proceedings would be initiated. The bench advised against precipitative action until the matter is conclusively resolved.
Notably, Vikash is the only one of five suspended officers to challenge the tribunal's decision. The others include Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Shekar H Tekkannavar, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) C Balakrishna, and Inspector AK Girish.
(With PTI inputs)
