RCB Moves Karnataka High Court, Seeks Quashing Of FIR Against It For Stadium Stampede

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) approached the Karnataka High Court on Monday (9 June) to quash a criminal case filed against it over the 4 June stampede outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium, which resulted in 11 deaths.

RCB has challenged the FIR, stating it was wrongly named and is not responsible for the incident.

DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt Ltd, which managed the event, filed its own petition, blaming police for inadequate deployment and poor crowd control.

According to a report by The Times of India, Royal Challengers Sports Limited, which owns the RCB franchise, claimed that passes for the celebrations were limited and required mandatory pre-registration, including for free entry, and notifications were published via social media.

It further alleged that a delay in opening the stadium's gates—from 1:45 pm to 3 pm had caused crowd surges and confusion.

The charges in the FIR include culpable homicide not amounting to murder and violations of public safety laws.

Previously, CM Siddaramaiah suspended five police officials, including the city commissioner, and directed the arrest of RCB and KSCA officials.

Three employees of the event company and one senior RCB marketing official have been arrested and placed in judicial custody.