Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Head of Marketing Nikhil Sosale and three executives from event partner DNA Entertainment Networks have been granted interim bail by the Karnataka High Court in connection with the Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede that killed 11 and injured over 70 on June 4.
Justice SR Krishna Kumar ruled on Thursday that there was no direct evidence linking the individuals to the tragedy, which occurred during RCB’s IPL 2025 title celebration.
Karnataka HC: No direct liability on RCB, DNA staff
“The petitioners herein who are officials / employees / directors of RCB and DNA cannot be equated with the said companies and in the absence of any material prior to their arrest to establish their involvement and participation in the event so as to cause the mishap, the petitioners cannot be held to be vicariously liable,” read an official court statement published on Bar and Bench.
Sosale, who is Head of Marketing and Revenue for Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd, was arrested in the early hours of June 6 at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport, allegedly while attempting to board a flight to Mumbai.
Others granted bail include DNA executives Sunil Mathew, Kiran Kumar, and freelancer Shamant NP Mavinakere. All had been detained earlier for questioning.
State alleges RCB breached protocol, incited crowd via social media
Despite the bail, the State government remains firm in its stance. Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty, appearing for the government, argued that RCB failed to obtain necessary permissions and misled authorities by promoting the event only on social media.
“They only gave us an intimation letter about the event. KSCA informed us at 6:30 pm on June 3. RCB posted at 11:30 pm after their win,” Shetty said. “They have over 28 lakh followers. They invited everyone but gave no ticket details. It created a crowd-control disaster.”
RCB’s social media posts on June 4, including one at 8:00 am and another at 8:55 am, were presented in court as having significantly contributed to the chaos, with no accompanying information about ticketing or attendance limits.
Sosale’s arrest under scrutiny amid allegations of fleeing
The State highlighted Sosale’s late-night flight booking as evidence of potential flight risk. “At 10:56 pm the air ticket was purchased, and the flight was in the morning. This is not someone just having dinner and being arrested. He was fleeing,” Shetty stated.
Sosale’s lawyers countered by calling the arrest arbitrary and politically motivated. They alleged that the arrest was made without prior investigation, based solely on orders from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
KSCA resignations, RCB silence add to crisis
Earlier, interim bail had also been granted to KSCA officials including secretary A Shankar and treasurer ES Jairam, both of whom resigned on June 7 citing “moral responsibility.”
RCB, meanwhile, has remained silent following a single apology post the day after the incident. Its social media accounts have been inactive since June 5. Parent company Diageo is expected to launch an internal investigation into the conduct of RCB’s senior officials.
The incident has triggered legal, ethical, and brand-related consequences for one of the IPL’s most visible franchises as the demand for accountability grows louder.
