Bengaluru stampede: Karnataka High Court adjourns hearing on challenge to CAT quashing IPS officer's suspension

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has adjourned the hearing in the petition filed by the state government challenging Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Bengaluru bench order setting aside IPS officer Vikash Kumar's suspension in relation to the stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy stadium on June 4, 2025.

A division bench headed by Justice SG Pandit recorded the assurance that Viksah Kumar would not file any contempt petition seeking reinstatement as per the CAT order.

On July 1, the CAT bench had quashed the suspension of Vikash holding that it was done in a mechanical manner, not based on convincing materials and without any sufficient material or grounds. While allowing Vikash Kumar's plea, the CAT bench had also said that it expected the state government to extend the similar benefit (revoking of the suspension) to the other police officers suspended.

Challenging this order, the state government claimed that the tribunal failed to consider the circumstances that led to the suspension of the police officers.

Appearing for the state government, Advocate General (AG) Shashikiran Shetty requested the bench to stay the tribunal’s order and said that he would satisfy the court regarding the suspension order.

He further stated that none of the other four officers, including the then police commissioner of Bengaluru City, have challenged the suspension order.

The AG also submitted that going by the CAT findings, RCB has to challenge the tribunal’s order as it was prima facie held that RCB was responsible for the large congregation of people outside the stadium.

On the other hand, senior advocate Dhyan Chinnappa, appearing for Vikash, assured the court that the officer would not file any contempt petition questioning the state government for not reinstating in terms of the CAT order.

The division bench observed that the assurance was by a senior advocate on behalf of the IPS officer and adjourned the hearing by a week directing the state to place all the materials on record.

In its challenge, the state contended that the tribunal gave specific findings regarding the entire incident as though it was a departmental enquiry.

The government said that the relevant extracts of the Karnataka Police Manual and the analysis of the sequence of events pertaining to June 3 were placed before the CAT bench in a sealed cover in justification of the suspension order. However, the tribunal quashed the suspension order without considering these materials in right perspective, the state said.