The Karnataka High Court Friday heard submissions from the state challenging the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) order quashing the suspension of several senior IPS officers in the wake of the June 4 Bengaluru stadium stampede.
The counsel of IPS officer Vikash Kumar Vikash also made submissions on his behalf, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s counsel made submissions in their petition challenging CAT’s remarks regarding the responsibility of RCB for the tragedy.
Eleven people died and several others got injured outside the Bengaluru cricket stadium on June 4, during an event called to celebrate RCB’s maiden IPL championship victory.
Appearing on behalf of the state, Senior Advocate P S Rajagopal argued that the Tribunal had gone into a fact-finding exercise which it was not authorised or warranted to go into, and then absolved the police officers and granted them relief.
Rajagopal further said, “What these (police) officers do, as if they are servants of RCB, as if they have no powers under Police Act… they start making the bandobast security arrangements.”
He added that the police could have simply refused permission to RCB and issued a prohibitory order under the Police Act. Rajagopal also objected to a statement of the CAT in the context of the stampede to the effect that the police did not have magic powers.
Senior Advocate Dhyan Chinappa appeared on behalf of IPS officer Vikash Kumar Vikash. In the context of the stampede, he drew an analogy to the Hollywood film, Sully: Miracle on the Hudson, which describes a real incident of a plane crash landing in the Hudson River. The pilot had the option of landing in the river or at the airport during an emergency, and simulators during an inquiry showed that he could have landed at the airport. But when accounting for extra time for human factors, the simulator would crash the plane.
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Having made the analogy, the counsel said, “People who are at the event in the relevant time are the ones who have to take a decision… all the unfortunate events of people passing away happened in the span of 5-10 minutes and was contained. In all these unfortunate events there has to be a scapegoat… therefore you choose the top three officers… and suspend them.”
He also questioned the phrasing of “accountability” in the government orders.
Briefly arguing on behalf of RCB with regard to remarks of CAT holding them responsible for the stampede, Senior Advocate Sandesh Chouta said, “We are aware that (the remarks) are not binding but expunging would be necessary in view of other inquiries are going on.” He added that there had been no objections from others to the plea for expunging the remarks.
The hearing of the matter is set to continue on Friday.