Latest news with #Sosale
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
HC allows govt to file reply on stampede plea in sealed cover
The Karnataka high court on Tuesday allowed the state government's request to file its response in a sealed cover to questions posed by the court on the stampede that took place outside Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium that left 11 dead and over 50 injured. The state government told the court that it does not wish to make any public disclosures related to the June 4 tragedy. Instead, it sought the court's permission to file its response in a sealed cover, citing concerns that its submissions could be misused or prejudged. Appearing before a bench of acting chief justice V Kameswar Rao and justice CM Joshi during the hearing of a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL), advocate general (AG) Shashi Kiran Shetty said the government's stand is that no information should be placed on record in open court until the conclusion of two ongoing inquiries –– one by a magistrate and another by a one-member commission. 'Our concern is that our submissions are being used out of context — for instance, in bail petitions,' Shetty told the court. He pointed to the case of Nikhil Sosale, marketing head of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who was arrested after the stampede. Shetty said Sosale was now citing an earlier clerical error in the government's court filings to claim his arrest was illegal. The AG's submission came during the hearing of proceedings initiated suo motu by the high court on June 5, a day after the deadly incident at the stadium, where a massive crowd surge occurred during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) IPL victory celebrations. More than 200,000 people reportedly gathered outside a venue with a capacity of just 30,000. The court had previously asked the state to furnish detailed responses on key issues: who authorised the event, what crowd control and emergency measures were in place, and whether any advance assessment of the turnout had been made. Pressed on the delay in filing its response, the state said it would comply if the court insisted, but only by submitting it confidentially. The court accepted this request and granted time until June 12 for the sealed filing. In the immediate aftermath of the stampede, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah had ordered the 'immediate arrest' of officials associated with RCB, event organiser DNA Entertainment, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). Sosale was arrested shortly thereafter. In separate proceedings, Sosale has challenged his arrest on two key grounds: One, the alleged lack of legal authority with the Chief Minister to order it, and two, the fact that he was arrested by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) on city police instructions even after the case was transferred to the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Arguing Sosale's bail plea before a different bench on Tuesday, senior advocate Sandesh Chouta contended that Sosale had been 'selectively' targeted, while no criminal action was initiated against state officials involved in organising or authorising the event. AG Shetty again requested permission to file the government's reply in sealed cover in this case as well. Justice SR Krishna Kumar allowed the request and gave the State until June 11 to submit its justification for Sosale's arrest.
Mint
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Mint
Rahul Dravid breaks silence on Bengaluru stampede during RCB's IPL victory celebrations; here is what he said
Days after 11 people died and 56 were injured in a stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)'s IPL 2025 victory celebrations in Bengaluru, legendary cricketer Rahul Dravid on Tuesday expressed deep anguish over the incident. He called the incident "unfortunate" and "sad". "Yeah, very disappointing. Obviously, very sad. Thoughts go out to people," Dravid, a former India coach and captain, told NDTV. The stampede occurred on June 4 when nearly 2.5 lakh fans gathered in and around the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru to catch a glimpse of their favourite cricket stars. He also said the incident was particularly painful given the city's deep sporting culture. "This is a really sports passionate city. I come from here. People love their sport, not only cricket. People love sport in the city and they've really followed all the sporting teams here, whether it's been our football team or it's been our kabaddi team.' "And of course, the RCB is a really very well-followed team. So really sad, very unfortunate what happened. And our thoughts go out to everyone who unfortunately was injured and some of them who lost their lives," he added. Rahul Dravid is currently associated with IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals as a coach. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Karnataka State Cricket Association's (KSCA) secretary A Shankar and treasurer ES Jairam resigned from their respective position, taking "moral responsibility" for the incident. The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday denied interim relief to Nikhil Sosale, marketing head of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), in the June 4 stadium stampede. Sosale was arrested on June 6 by the Central Crime Branch at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, when he was about to leave for Dubai. The court also reserved its order on his petition till June 11. In his petition, Sosale questioned the legality of his June 6 early morning arrest. He alleged that the police action was influenced by political directives. The single-judge bench of Justice SR Krishna Kumar heard arguments from both Sosale's counsel and the state before deciding to pronounce the interim order tomorrow.
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Business Standard
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Karnataka HC denies interim relief to RCB's Sosale in stampede case
The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday denied interim relief to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) marketing head Nikhil Sosale in connection with the June 4 stampede at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium that left 11 people dead and over 50 injured. Sosale, who was arrested on June 6 by the Central Crime Branch (CCB), challenged the legality of his arrest, alleging that the police action was politically motivated. According to a report by LiveLaw, Sosale maintained that there was no material evidence against him and that his name was not even mentioned in the FIR registered in the case. Appearing for the petitioner, Senior Advocate Sandesh Chouta argued that the Supreme Court has ruled that an individual cannot be detained if the arrest is found to be unlawful. Court examines role of CCB in arrest During the hearing, the High Court observed, 'CCB, notwithstanding being superior to this officer of Cubbon Park, did not have power to arrest in view of Sec 55.' Sosale's counsel questioned how the CCB became involved in the investigation when the Crime Investigation Department (CID) had been tasked with probing the stampede. 'CCB is not a police station but is said to be a superior officer in rank, as per a notification. They argue that CCB can conduct an investigation,' the lawyer said. The court further remarked that it was too early to determine whether an RCB social media post played a role in the deadly stampede. The observation came during a separate plea filed by RCB and event management firm DNA Entertainment, seeking to quash the FIR lodged against them. Arrests and political fallout Sosale was arrested along with three others, including employees of DNA Entertainment. The arrests followed a directive from Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who had ordered the Director General of Police and the Inspector General to take immediate action against officials from RCB, DNA Entertainment, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). Siddaramaiah had stated that there appeared to be 'irresponsibility' and 'carelessness' on the part of the organisers, warranting legal action. The High Court has listed the matter for further hearing on June 11.
Mint
16 hours ago
- Business
- Mint
RCB for sale: Diageo plans to sell IPL 2025 champions, values Royal Challengers Bengaluru at ₹17,000 crore: Report
British company Diageo Plc is thinking about selling part or all of its ownership in the IPL chamoions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Bloomberg has reported. Diageo controls RCB through its Indian company, United Spirits Ltd. The company may look for a deal worth up to $2 billion ( ₹ 17,000 crore), according to Bloomberg. Talks are still in the early stages, and no final decision has been made, the publication added. LiveMint could not independently verify the development. After news of the possible sale on June 10, United Spirits' share price rose by 3.3% in BSE. United Spirits has categorically denied any possibility of the RCB sale. In a regulatory filing with the BSE, the company has called the media reports speculative 'This has reference to your email communication dated 10th June 2025 seeking clarification from the Company on media reports in relation to potential stake sale of RCB. The Company would like to clarify that aforesaid media reports are speculative in nature and it is not pursuing any such discussions,' the company said. The ongoing speculation comes as India's health ministry pushes to stop the promotion of tobacco and alcohol through cricket. Although liquor ads are banned, companies like Diageo advertise soft drinks using top players. RCB, one of the original IPL teams, were first owned by Vijay Mallya. Mallya, then chairman of United Breweries Group and United Spirits Limited (USL), purchased the RCB franchise in 2008 for $111.6 million during the inaugural IPL auction. He was the face of the franchise until 2016, when legal and financial troubles, including unpaid loans, led to his exit from ownership. Then, Diageo took over the team in 2016. Royal Challengers Bengaluru, which Virat Kohli has played for throughout his IPL career, earlier became the most followed IPL team on Instagram, crossing 18 million followers. However, since they won the IPL trophy after 18 years, their social media accounts further exploded. At the moment, they have nearly 22 million followers on Instagram. They are ahead of Chennai Super Kings (18.8 million) and Mumbai Indians (18.4 million). In November 2023, RCB were behind both teams but gained a quick rise due to strong fan support and creative online posts. RCB reached 17 million followers on in March 2024 and added another million in the same month. Nikhil Sosale, RCB's Head of Marketing and Revenue, was arrested after the June 4 stampede at M Chinnaswamy Stadium that killed 11 people. Sosale is one of several arrested after the tragic stampede during RCB's IPL victory celebration. Sosale was picked up by the Central Crime Branch at 4:30 AM from the airport. His lawyers told the Karnataka High Court that the arrest had been made under the direct order of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and not through a proper investigation.
Mint
17 hours ago
- Business
- Mint
RCB for sale: Diageo plans to sell IPL 2025 champions, values Royal Challengers Bengaluru at ₹17,000 crore: Report
British company Diageo Plc is thinking about selling part or all of its ownership in the IPL chamoions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Bloomberg has reported. Diageo controls RCB through its Indian company, United Spirits Ltd. The company may look for a deal worth up to $2 billion ( ₹ 17,000 crore), according to Bloomberg. Talks are still in the early stages, and no final decision has been made, the publication added. LiveMint could not independently verify the development. After news of the possible sale on June 10, United Spirits' share price rose by 3.3% in BSE. This comes as India's health ministry pushes to stop the promotion of tobacco and alcohol through cricket. Although liquor ads are banned, companies like Diageo advertise soft drinks using top players. RCB, one of the original IPL teams, were first owned by Vijay Mallya. Mallya, then chairman of United Breweries Group and United Spirits Limited (USL), purchased the RCB franchise in 2008 for $111.6 million during the inaugural IPL auction. He was the face of the franchise until 2016, when legal and financial troubles, including unpaid loans, led to his exit from ownership. Then, Diageo took over the team in 2016. Royal Challengers Bengaluru, which Virat Kohli has played for throughout his IPL career, earlier became the most followed IPL team on Instagram, crossing 18 million followers. However, since they won the IPL trophy after 18 years, their social media accounts further exploded. At the moment, they have nearly 22 million followers on Instagram. They are ahead of Chennai Super Kings (18.8 million) and Mumbai Indians (18.4 million). In November 2023, RCB were behind both teams but gained a quick rise due to strong fan support and creative online posts. RCB reached 17 million followers on in March 2024 and added another million in the same month. Nikhil Sosale, RCB's Head of Marketing and Revenue, was arrested after the June 4 stampede at M Chinnaswamy Stadium that killed 11 people. Sosale is one of several arrested after the tragic stampede during RCB's IPL victory celebration. Sosale was picked up by the Central Crime Branch at 4:30 AM from the airport. His lawyers told the Karnataka High Court that the arrest had been made under the direct order of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and not through a proper investigation. However, the court said interim bail could not be granted unless it was proved that the arrest was unlawful.
