Bangalore, 17 June (H.S.): A significant development has taken place in the hearing of a public interest litigation suo motu filed by the Karnataka High Court regarding the horrific stampede that occurred near Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

The bench, which has named Karnataka State Cricket Academy, Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise and DNA Entertainment Network Pvt. Ltd. as respondents in the case, has issued notices to them. They have been asked to file objections within the stipulated time. The order was passed by a temporary bench comprising Justice V. Kameshwara Rao and Justice C.M. Joshi.

The High Court had filed a suo motu petition in the case of 11 people being killed in a stampede during the RCB team's victory celebration in an IPL match near the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Advocate General Shashikaran Shetty, who appeared for the government during the hearing, submitted a factual report containing information about the incident to the bench in a sealed envelope. However, the lawyers who filed the petition objected to this, saying, “This cannot maintain transparency and the report should be made public.”

In response, the government clarified that full information cannot be disclosed at this time as the magisterial and judicial investigation is ongoing. However, the final report will be submitted publicly to the court.

The petitioner's counsel has also sought more compensation for the victims. The counsel for another petitioner drew the attention of the bench, saying, How did so many people gather even though Vidhan Soudha, Kasturba Road etc. are prohibited zones? The Intelligence Department has completely failed.

Senior advocate Uday Holla has been appointed to argue on behalf of the government in connection with the petition hearing. The bench indicated that an amicus curiae needs to be appointed to assist the court in the case, and the next hearing has been adjourned to Monday afternoon.

Hindusthan Samachar / Rakesh Mahadevappa