Karnataka plans bill for crowd management
The Karnataka government is planning to enact a legislation on crowd control and management, state law and parliamentary affairs minister HK Patil said on Thursday, with the draft proposing up to three years in jail or a fine of up to ₹5 lakh for organisers who fail to obtain permission.
The proposed law — Karnataka Crowd Control (Managing Crowd at Events and Venues of Mass Gathering) Bill, 2025 — was discussed at the state cabinet meeting on Thursday along with three other laws, and is likely to be placed for approval during the next meeting, the minister said.
'Four bills were proposed today — Karnataka crowd control, managing crowd at events and venue of mass gathering Bill, 2025; Karnataka Rohith Vemula Bill, 2025; Karnataka misinformation, fake news prohibition Bill, 2025; Karnataka hate speech and hate crimes prevention Bill, 2025,' Patil told reporters after the cabinet meeting.
The minister said that some of the proposed bills need detailed discussions.
'These Bills were proposed at the meeting today. I mentioned that on some Bills there is a need for a detailed discussion. It has been decided that before the next cabinet meeting, concerned ministers will meet and discuss and bring the Bills before the cabinet,' he said.
The crowd control bill has been proposed days after 11 people were killed in a stampede on June 4 outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru during the Indian Premier League victory parade of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru cricket team.
The draft crowd control legislation outlines a legal framework to regulate gatherings at 'sponsored events and venues of mass gathering pertaining to political rally, jatra, conference, etc.' and seeks to fix accountability on organisers.
The legislation exempts certain events from its purview, including religious and traditional gatherings. 'This Act shall not apply to Jatra, Rathotsava, Pallakki Utsava, Teppada Teru, urus, or any religious event pertaining to any religion, caste or creed,' Chapter I of the bill says. HT has seen a copy of the legislation.
Chapter IV of the bill lays out penalties for violation: 'If the event planner does not apply before conducting the event or fails to control the crowd gathered and fails to give the compensation or violates the provisions of this Act or rules made hereunder in any other way, [they] shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with fine up to five lakhs rupees or both.'
Further, the bill proposes that event planners who intentionally ignore regulations or fail to take police permission before holding a gathering will be held liable if the event results in casualties. These offences are classified as non-cognizable and non-bailable, triable by a magistrate of the first class.
The legislation also criminalises aiding or abetting a crime at such events. It states, 'Whoever knowingly or unknowingly believes commission or omission of any other person would be an offence under the Act' will face legal action.
The draft Rohith Vemula Bill, reportedly proposes for compensation of up to ₹1 lakh for students who face caste-based discrimination in higher education institutions, and jail term of one year and pay a fine of ₹10,000 for those guilty of such offences.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had written to chief minister Siddaramaiah in April urging the Karnataka government to enact 'Rohith Vemula Act' to ensure that no one faces caste-based discrimination in the education system.
Rohith Vemula, a Dalit student, allegedly died by suicide due to caste-based discrimination in Hyderabad, in 2016.
HT reached out to senior BJP leaders BY Vijayendra and R Ashoka, but did not get any response to requests for comments.
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