M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. | Photo credit: K. MURALI KUMAR
The Karnataka High Court on Friday asked the state government to respond to an amicus curiae submission that some of the measures mentioned in the draft standard operating procedure (SOP) for crowd management could be incorporated in the proposed Karnataka Crowd Control (Crowd Management at Events and Place of Assembly) Act, 2025.
Senior advocate S. Susheela, who is appearing as amicus curiae in the PIL suo motu petition initiated by the court in the matter of the stampede that took place outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4, 2025, told the court that the measures proposed in the draft SOP before the court are much better than the provisions contained in the proposed bill.
Hardly without SOP
Ms. Susheel also said that crowd control may be difficult during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru matches to be played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in the upcoming IPL-2026 tournament, without crowd control SOPs.
The state government revised its earlier draft SOP by incorporating certain suggestions from it and other parties to the petition and submitted the revised draft SOP as per the earlier directions issued by the court, pointed out to a division bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Poonacha.
As the Advocate General was not available today, the Bench adjourned further hearing on the petition to February 23 and asked the government to respond to the amicus curiae submissions.
The state government, in response to the court’s earlier queries on measures to be taken to avoid stampede-like incidents in future, has drawn up SOPs for crowd management.
Published – 20 Feb 2026 21:27 IST