RCB disputes tribunal's remarks that its social media posts drew crowds to Chinnaswamy Stadium during stampede

Bengaluru: Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL), which owns the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) IPC team, has moved the Karnataka High Court, challenging certain observations made in a Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) order. 

On July 1, the CAT's Bengaluru bench, while quashing the suspension order of senior IPS officer Vikash Kumar Vikash, had held that prima facie, RCB’s media posts were responsible for a large gathering of people outside the M Chinnaswamy stadium on June 4, which led to a stampede resulting in 11 deaths. 

Vikash had moved the CAT, challenging his suspension as the Additional Commissioner of Police (West), Bengaluru. 

Hearing the RCB's petition, a division bench headed by Justice SG Pandit ordered notices to the state government and Vikash, and adjourned the matter to July 17. 

RCSPL submitted that the CAT's observations were opposed to the principles of natural justice and condemned it without being a party in the proceedings. It stated that the tribunal had acted beyond the scope of its jurisdiction and wrongly determined the liability without giving an opportunity of hearing. 

"The observations are riddled by factual and legal errors. The said order was passed despite the pendency of several proceedings on the same subject matter, including the magisterial inquiry. The findings contained in the tribunal’s order, if not duly clarified, would be gravely prejudicial to our case in those proceedings,” the petition said. 

Meanwhile, the bench also adjourned to July 17 the hearing in the  government's petition against the CAT order setting aside Vikash's suspension and ordering his reinstatement. 

The adjournment was based on a request from Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty. 

The court indicated that no more adjournment requests will be granted, noting the assurance by Vikash that he would not file any contempt petition for non-compliance of the tribunal's order for his reinstatement.