Bengaluru stampede: Karnataka HC seeks sealed copy of Justice D'Cunha Commission report

Indian Express

a day ago

The Karnataka High Court Tuesday directed that a copy of the Justice (Retd) Michael D'Cunha Commission report on the June 4 stampede near Chinnaswamy Stadium be placed before it in a sealed cover.
Eleven people were killed in the stampede which occurred during a celebration to mark the June 3 IPL championship victory of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) cricket team.
The direction, by a bench consisting of Justices Jayant Banerji and Umesh Adiga, came in the wake of a petition filed by event management company DNA Entertainment seeking that the report be quashed. DNA also contended that it was not provided a copy of the report.
As previously reported by The Indian Express, the Commission's report had placed responsibility for the tragedy on the event organisers and senior police officers, following which the government decided to book criminal cases against officials of RCB, DNA Entertainment, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association.
Reiterating prior arguments made before the bench, Senior Advocate B K Sampath Kumar, on behalf of DNA, stated, 'We are not given the report. Our reputation is being tarnished day in and day out by the media…and social media also.'
He added, 'The time provided (for the inquiry) was one month…but as we understand from the media, the report was only ready on July 11, beyond the period. Nowhere is the power for the one-man Commission to say such-and-such action should be taken against any individuals. It is only to point out who is responsible, what were the lapses, etc.'
Kumar also stated that DNA should have had an opportunity to be heard, considering the effect on its reputation and the procedural requirements. He said, 'Before I am hanged, I should be heard…to say it in crude language… Here the Commission was duty bound to do that.'
On behalf of the government, Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty said that one can't file a petition before the court based on information from the media. 'This is nothing but an abuse of process of court… The question is whether based on a paper publication…that cannot be ground to file a writ petition seeking something.'
The matter will be heard further on Thursday.