Bengaluru stampede: Karnataka HC directs State to submit replies to its queries in sealed cover on Thursday

Arguing on behalf of the Congress government in Karnataka, the AG stated that a judicial probe and a magisterial inquiry had been ordered into the stampede alongside a probe by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), and that revealing the findings of the probe in open court would be construed as “pre-judging the issue at this time – blaming someone or adding someone or arriving at a conclusion without the completion of the 15 days for the magisterial inquiry and the one month for the judicial commission,” the advocate general said.

“The judicial commission has been constituted as a consequence of your lordship’s (June 5) order. The commission has been given one month’s time to look into those aspects as well as any additional aspect. We have suspended the police commissioner and four officers. All this has been done,” the AG argued.

“Are you saying that because of these things you will not reply to the court?” Justice Rao asked. The AG responded that a factual report will be provided in a sealed cover for the consideration of the high court instead of the open court. “We just want to be fair. It is just one month’s time that is sought,” the AG argued.

The bench then directed the government to provide a report on its queries in a sealed cover by Thursday afternoon in open court.

Last week, the Karnataka High Court posed nine questions to the state Congress government with respect to the stampede and sought answers by Tuesday. The questions included: “When and who has taken the decision to hold the victory celebration and in what manner?”; whether “any permission was sought to organise the event?” and “Whether any SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) has been formulated to manage a crowd of 50,000 and above in any sports event and celebrations of this nature?”

Other questions it posed pertained to the steps taken to regulate traffic, crowd control measures, emergency services at the venue; assessment of expected crowd, first aid provided at the venue, and the time taken to move the injured to hospitals.

The high court’s suo motu action and the questions it posed on June 5 triggered the suspensions of five police officers, including the Bengaluru Police Commissioner, a day later. It also resulted in the constitution of the judicial commission to probe the stampede.