The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday relaxed certain travel restraints specified in the bail conditions for Royal Challengers Bengaluru marketing head Nikhil Sosale in the case related to the stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Eleven people died in a stampede outside the stadium in Bengaluru in June this year in the wake of Royal Challengers Bengaluru winning their first IPL championship. Sosale and several others were arrested based on three FIRs registered on June 5. Sosale obtained interim bail when the matter was originally heard by a bench consisting of Justice S R Krishna Kumar on June 12.
This bail was granted subject to Sosale not leaving Bengaluru without court permission, furnishing a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh, and depositing his passport with the trial court. Senior advocate Sandesh Chouta argued at the time that the arrests had not been made based on an investigation, but on the instructions of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in a press conference dated June 5.
In Wednesday’s proceedings before Justice Mohammad Nawaz, Chouta stated that similar restrictions in this case had already been lifted, with regard to members of the Karnataka State Cricket Association and event management company DNA Entertainment. It was also argued that his role within RCB required him to travel often across the country. Considering this, the court permitted Sosale to travel outside Bengaluru, subject to his informing the investigating officer before leaving and arriving in the city.
However, Justice Nawaz did not relax the condition dealing with the deposited passport.
In August, the bench of Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum granted similar permissions to Sosale when he had sought to travel to Mumbai for four days to attend a close friend’s family function. At that time, the court directed, “This Court is of the considered view that the petitioner is entitled to travel for the limited duration indicated. However, the petitioner shall ensure that he intimates the Investigating Officer before leaving the city and shall also forthwith intimate his return.”