The Karnataka High Court has granted interim bail to Nikhil Sosale, the marketing head of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), along with three others associated with the event management company DNA Entertainment Networks Private, in connection with the recent stampede near Chinnaswamy Stadium. The incident, which occurred on June 4th during celebrations following RCB's 2025 IPL victory, resulted in 11 fatalities and several injuries.
Justice SR Krishna Kumar presided over the case and issued the order, emphasizing that the arrested individuals could not be held in jail due to the lack of evidence directly linking them to the events that led to the tragic stampede. The court observed that as officials, employees, or directors of RCB and DNA, the petitioners could not be held vicariously liable for the alleged offenses, especially since they were not named as accused in the initial FIRs.
In addition to Nikhil Sosale, the interim bail was also granted to DNA's Vice-President Sunil Mathew, Manager of Operations Kiran Kumar S, and Shamant NP Mavinakere. The court directed their immediate release from judicial custody.
The High Court also noted that mandatory procedures were not followed during the arrests. The arrested individuals were allegedly not provided with essential documents such as the grounds for arrest and the arrest memo, violating mandatory constitutional requirements. The court underscored that informing an arrested person of the reasons for their arrest is not a mere formality but a crucial constitutional safeguard.
The court stated that the investigating officer failed to furnish the required checklist and mandatory documents, including the arrest intimation, memorandum of arrest, grounds of arrest, and inspection memo, as mandated by guidelines established in previous cases. Based on this, the court concluded that the arrests were "vitiated" and liable to be quashed.
As part of the interim bail conditions, the court has instructed the petitioners to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation, refrain from tampering with any evidence related to the case, and execute a personal bond of ₹1 lakh each, along with two sureties for the same amount. They are also required to deposit their passports with the trial court within two weeks of their release and are prohibited from leaving India without prior permission from the court.
Senior advocate Sandesh Chouta, representing Sosale, argued that the police could not target employees when the FIR primarily implicated the entities, asserting that vicarious liability should not apply in this case. Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty, representing the state, countered that RCB had not obtained the necessary permissions for the victory parade. He pointed out that the announcement of the event was made on RCB's social media and later deleted, and that the team invited a large number of followers without securing proper authorization.
The Advocate General also argued that Sosale appeared to be attempting to flee, citing the purchase of air tickets for a morning flight and his subsequent arrest at the airport. The state argued that the arrests were justified and that all necessary documents were provided to the accused without undue delay.
The Karnataka Police had initially filed an FIR against the Karnataka State Cricket Association's Administrative Committee, RCB, and others in connection with the stampede. RCB has been listed as the first accused in the FIR, along with DNA Entertainment and the KSCA.
Following the incident, two top KSCA officials, secretary A Shankar and treasurer E S Jairam, resigned, citing "moral responsibility." KSCA President Raghuram Bhat confirmed the resignations and assured full cooperation with the investigation.
Nikhil Sosale and other RCB officials who are part of the management team are likely to face an internal investigation by the parent company, Diageo.
