The High Court of Karnataka, Monday, July 14, ordered the government of the State to publicly disclose its situation report on the tragic incident of the scholarship on June 4 outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium of Bengaluru during Royal Challengers BengaluruCelebration of the IPL victory (RCB). The jostling resulted in the death of 11 people and injured over 50 years.
After the jostling, the government of the state submitted a situation report in sealed coverage, asking that it remains confidential. The report was part of a SUO Motu public interest dispute initiated to assess responsibility and suggest preventive measures for future public rallies. The government has mentioned that disclosure could influence the masterful and judicial investigations on the incident.
However, a division bench including the acting chief judge V Kameswar Rao and judge CM Joshi rejected the advocacy of state confidentiality. The bench ruled that the content of the report contained only the perception of the facts by the government and has not respected the approach required for the protection of sealed coverage, which applies only in questions involving national security, public interest or privacy rights.
The court stressed that retirement judges and senior officials conducting the investigations should remain impartial and are unlikely to be influenced by the report. The High Court ordered the State to share the report, with translations, if necessary, with the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), RCB and DNA Entertainment Networks, which participated in the organization of the event. These parties should help the court better understand the events that have led to tragedy, the reasons for the mismanagement of the crowd and if the disaster could have been prevented.
RCB, DNA officials submit testimonies
The decision was made after the submissions of defender General Shashi Kiran Shetty, who said that sealed coverage was essential until the conclusion of all official surveys. However, Amicus Curiae S. Susheela stressed the lack of legal factors for delay and the need for transparency.
The Central Administrative Court (CAT) had previously held RCB responsible for attracting a crowd of almost three to five Lakh people thanks to announcements of unregulated victory parade on social networks. The court stressed that the RCB continued without the required authorizations, contributing to chaos. Bengaluru police officials, including Inspector General Vikash Kumar, were rejected for the failure of the obligation, a decision that remains during revision.
Meanwhile, RCB and DNA officials submitted testimonies as part of a CID investigation. RCB, which initially announced increased compensation to the families of the victims and the creation of a rescue fund, RCB Cares, has not published any update since the tragedy.
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