New Delhi: Remarking that police personnel are also human beings, and neither god nor magicians who can ensure crowd control measures for lakhs of people at short notice, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) Tuesday quashed Karnataka government’s order suspending IPS officer Vikash Kumar Vikash for alleged dereliction of duty in connection with a stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium on 4 June.
The tribunal documented that the suspension order was mechanical in nature and lacked any “convincing materials”. The Bengaluru bench was deciding the petition of Vikash Kumar, who challenged his suspension by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in the wake of the stampede in Bengaluru that claimed at least 11 lives.
The stampede occurred as fans of Royal Challengers Bangalore gathered outside Chinnaswamy Stadium to celebrate the team’s maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy.
A day after the incident, Karnataka government suspended senior IPS officers from the city, including then-police commissioner B. Dayananda and Vikash Kumar, who was the regional additional commissioner of police. Additionally, the government suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Shekhar H. Tekkannavar, ACP (Cubbon Park) C. Balakrishna, and Inspector A.K. Girish, who was posted at Cubbon Park police station.
“In the aforesaid all circumstances, in view of this Tribunal the order Annexure – A3 has been passed in a mechanical manner and the order is not based upon the convincing materials. The Police officers have been suspended without any sufficient material or grounds. Hence, the aforesaid order is liable to be quashed,” the Bengaluru bench of CAT ordered Tuesday.
Although only Vikash Kumar had challenged the suspension, CAT expressed that it expects the government to revoke suspension of all officers suspended in this matter.
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‘Police don’t have Aladdin’s lamp’
Aggrieved by his suspension on 5 June, Vikash Kumar knocked on the CAT’s doors on 9 June through his counsel, senior advocate Dhyan Chinnappa, and advocate Dhanush Menon. Before the tribunal, they argued that the officer was neither at fault because there was not enough time to prepare for such a huge event, nor did the state government issue any show cause notice to hear his perspective. Additionally, they argued that the state government had not conducted any primary inquiry and magisterial inquiry set up by the government had yet to submit its report on lapses that may have led to the stampede.
On the other hand, the Karnataka government submitted to the tribunal that the suspended officers, prima facie, failed to maintain law and order, and that suspension was not a punishment.
On its part, the tribunal rebuked the reason given in the suspension order by the government that these senior officials failed to provide a written rejection to the letter from RCB’s CEO on 3 June about their plans to hold a victory parade.
“After mentioning the name of five officers, it is mentioned in the order that the CEO of RCB had intimated Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City on 03.06.2025 about holding the victory parade and celebration on 04.06.2025. The aforesaid portion of the order is not correct because the respondents (state) did not submit the copy of any intimation submitted to the Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru on 03.06.2025,” the tribunal noted.
Instead, the tribunal said it was the Karnataka State Cricket Association that informed the Cubbon Park police inspector on 3 June that if RCB went on to win the tournament, their event management firm, DNA Entertainment Networks Private Limited, would plan a victory parade around the M Chinnaswamy stadium.
“It appears from the aforesaid letter that the letter was submitted to the inspector of police, Cubbon Park police station, Bengaluru. Any copy of this letter was not given to any superior officer. It is not shown that the copy was also given to the present applicant Shri Vikash Kumar Vikash or other officers, Shri B. Dayananda or Shri Shekhar H. Tekkannavar,” the tribunal noted.
It further noted that permission for assemblies and processions should be obtained from an officer of the rank of additional commissioner of police at least a week before the scheduled event. Hence, the tribunal documented that the answer to the question about whether the police had “sufficient time” to make sufficient arrangements is “negative”.
The tribunal noted that RCB shared two social media posts early in the morning on 4 June, inviting its fans to the victory parade, but only the third post, at 3.14 PM, mentioned the availability of limited passes.
“As a result of aforesaid media post of RCB, the crowd gathered near the stadium about three lakhs and around the Chinnaswamy Stadium a significant number of people gathered upon the roads and other places in an approximately 14 km area. The capacity of the stadium was 35,000 while around 3 lakh people gathered around the stadium. At that moment it was not possible for the Police to make the arrangements,” the tribunal noted.
It also said RCB was responsible for the huge gathering of fans, and the police were unable to make proper arrangements to manage such a huge gathering. Police personnel were already deployed on the streets of Bengaluru as fans celebrated throughout the intervening night of 3 and 4 June. The police personnel were also deployed at the Vidhan Soudha, where another event to felicitate the players was organised that morning, said the tribunal.
Adding, “It cannot expected from the police that within a short time of about 12 hours the police will make all arrangements required in the Police Act or in the other rules, etc.”
The order went on to add, “Police personnel are also human beings. They are neither ‘God’ (Bhagwan) nor magician and also not having the magic powers like ‘Alladdin (sic) ka chirag (lamp)’ which was able to fulfil any wish only by rubbing a finger. To control the aforesaid type of gathering and for making the proper arrangements sufficient time should be given to the police. But neither the information was given to the police for making the arrangements nor the permission was applied or granted by the police.”
“The KSCA submitted a letter which also did not contain any request for granting the permission or for making the arrangements. The letter shows only the information regarding the intention. Therefore, it was not expected from the police that upon the basis of letter submitted before the station in charge of one police station, the police will make all arrangements all of a sudden,” it said.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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