Bengaluru Stampede: ‘Not Aladdin’s Magic Lamp,’ Says Tribunal In Relief For Senior IPS Officer | India News
Bengaluru Stampede: After the tragic stampede in Bengaluru outside the M. Chinnaswamy stadium on June 4, in which 11 people lost their lives and several others were injured, the Karnataka government sprang into action and issued several announcements, including suspending a senior IPS Officer, Vikash Kumar Vikash. However, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has quashed the suspension order and stated on Tuesday that the action was not based on sufficient and substantial materials.
The stampede tragedy occurred when the fans gathered outside the stadium to celebrate the win of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL.
According to the news agency IANS, the bench headed by Justice Santosh Mehra and Justice R.K. Srivastava quashed the suspension order of Vikash Kumar, who was among the five officers suspended in connection with the stampede, and had moved to the CAT challenging the suspension.
Suspension Quashed
The bench stated, “…in the light of the aforesaid settled position of law, we expect from the government that the government will give the same benefit to the other officers who were suspended.” It added that the other officers ought to be extended the benefit without the need for them to come to court.
IANS quoted the CAT as saying, “Police personnel are also human beings. They are neither ‘God (Bhagwan)’ nor magicians, and also do not have the magic powers like ‘Aladdin ka Chirag’ which was able to fulfil any wish only by rubbing a finger.”
“To control the aforesaid type of gathering and to make the proper arrangements, sufficient time should be given to the police. But the information was not given to the police,” it said. The police officers have been suspended without any sufficient material or grounds. Hence, the suspension order is liable to be quashed, the CAT added.
The respondents are directed to reinstate the aforesaid applicant immediately. The period of suspension will also be treated as duty with full pay and allowances. The bench added that prima facie, it appears that, at the time of passing the impugned order of suspension, no material was available for showing the “substantial dereliction of duty”.
Furthermore, the bench continued that there was no material to show the fact that the police had sufficient time to make all the arrangements. No permission was granted by the police because the concerned organiser did not apply for the permission as per the rules, the bench stated.
The suspension order has been issued without issuing a show-cause notice or without granting any opportunity for showing the defence, the senior officer had submitted.
Who Was Responsible?
According to the CAT, as per the terms of inquiry, it is yet to be determined who was the responsible person for the lapses and deficiencies. In the aforesaid all circumstances, given this, the suspension order has been passed mechanically and the order is not based upon convincing materials, the news agency reported.
The order itself shows that there was a lack of time to prepare for the huge event. The FIR was registered on June 5, 2025, against the RCB franchise, DNA Entertainment, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).
“The organiser did not wait for the response of the police. At the eleventh hour, they submitted a letter and started the scheduled programme,” the CAT noted.
The CAT stated, it appears that without obtaining the permission from the police or without the consent of concerned police officers, the franchise of RCB placed the information in the public domain on social media platforms.
(with IANS inputs)
