[Chinnaswamy Stadium Stampede] DNA Entertainment Moves Karnataka HC Against Report By State-Appointed Inquiry Commission

A petition has been filed in the Karnataka High Court by M/s DNA Entertainment Network Private Limited, seeking to quash the one member judicial inquiry report submitted by Retired justice John Michael Cunha in regards to the stampede that occurred outside the Chinnaswamy stadium ahead of an event to celebrate Royal Challenger Bangalore's (RCB) victory at the 2025 IPL Final.

The plea was mentioned for urgent hearing before a bench of the High Court on Friday, which has now posted the matter for hearing on Monday.

The Government of Karnataka, due to the stampede that took place outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium on 04.06.2025, issued a Government Order, dated 05.06.2025, appointing a Commission of Inquiry by the 3rd Respondent and further directed that the Inquiry should be completed within a period of one month.

The plea states that the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952 clearly contemplates that there is a right of cross-examination provided and in the circumstances, even when the Petitioner had sought for an opportunity to cross-examine the witnesses who may have spoken contrary to the interest of the Petitioner, that not having been done, the entire Inquiry would be contrary to the principles of natural justice and also contrary to the Commissions of Enquiry Act, 1952.

Further, it is stated that the petitioner was not given a copy of the depositions of its witnesses and the other witnesses, as well as the documents marked in spite of seeking a copy of the same.

Petitioner claimed that a copy was needed to cross-examine the witnesses, point out the incorrectly recorded answers as well as address a personal hearing on the matter and hence, the impugned Report will have to be quashed.

It is claimed that justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done. However, the Commission seemed to have proceeded in a biased manner as if it were a fault-finding commission rather than a fact-finding commission. Thus, the impugned Report is vitiated even for that reason.

Further, it is said that from the media reports, the 3rd Respondent seems to have indicted two of its Directors and one of whom had complained that his deposition had not been properly recorded.

It is also pointed out that the fact that the impugned Report is leaked to the press but not given to the Petitioner to date makes it clear that the Respondents have acted in a pre-planned manner with a vendetta to implicate the Petitioner and its officials falsely.

It is claimed that the haste with which the Respondents conducted the Inquiry gives one the impression that the Respondent Government wanted to save its skin and that the Commission of Inquiry was a mere eye wash in order to pacify the general public and to deflect the blame from itself by making innocent persons such as the Petitioner and its officials a scapegoat.

Thus, DNA has prayed for a direction to the respondents to furnish all the documents as sought in the Application dated 22.07.2025, and by way of interim relief, it seeks the court to pass an ex parte ad-interim order staying the impugned Report and any action/coercive measures, pursuant thereto.

Advocate Suraj Sampath for Petitioner.