This is an archive article published on June 2, 2025
Karnataka High Court issues interim stay on basketball stadium project at open playground in Bengaluru’s Indiranagar
Indiranagar residents moved the Karnataka High Court opposing the conversion of a basketball court at Victory Ground in Bengaluru into an enclosed stadium.
The proposed stadium, to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 6.5 crore, will convert the existing basketball court used for coaching by the Indiranagar Basketball Club, into a stadium.(Express Photo)
The Karnataka High Court issued an interim stay last week on the conversion of a basketball court at Victory Ground in Bengaluru’s Indiranagar, the only open playground in the area, into an enclosed stadium with facilities such as parking.
This was after the Indiranagar First Stage Residents’ Welfare Association moved the court against the construction of the stadium by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in the popular playground that locals had used for decades. A division bench of Justice Mohammad Nawaz and Venkatesh Naik on May 29 ordered a stay on construction and posted the case for the next hearing on June 10.
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The Indiranagar first stage RWA asked the court to restrain the BBMP from proceeding with the construction of the stadium under a tender award dated August 14, 2024, and a work order dated March 21, 2025. The RWA also pleaded for the restoration and maintenance of the playground area of the Victory Ground.
The proposed stadium, to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 6.5 crore, will convert the existing basketball court used for coaching by the Indiranagar Basketball Club, a private club, into a stadium. Despite protests by local residents, the state government proceeded with the groundbreaking ceremony for the proposed conversion of the basketball court into a stadium at the Victory Ground on May 8. The RWA then dubbed the day of the groundbreaking ceremony a ‘black day’.
The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by the Karnataka chief minister’s political secretary and MLC K Govindaraj, who also announced the government’s interest in constructing the stadium. Govindaraj is also the president of the Karnataka State Basketball Association and the Karnataka Olympic Association.
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The basketball court was walled off as a separate enclosure in the playground over three decades ago. A similar proposal in 2017 to convert the basketball court into an indoor stadium was halted following opposition from residents and a stay order from the Karnataka High Court.
The proposed stadium, to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 6.5 crore, will convert the existing basketball court used for coaching by the Indiranagar Basketball Club, into a stadium.(Express Photo) 
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