The Karnataka High Court has granted interim bail to Nikhil Sosale, Head of Marketing at Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), and three executives from DNA Entertainment Networks in connection with the Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede that occurred on June 4, 2025. The stampede, which took place outside the stadium during celebrations of RCB's victory in the IPL-2025 tournament, resulted in the tragic deaths of 11 people and injuries to over 50 others.

Justice Krishna Kumar presided over the case and declared the arrests of Sosale, Sunil Mathew (DNA Vice-President), Kiran Kumar S (DNA Manager of Operations), and Shamant NP Mavinakere (a freelancer with DNA) as "illegal." The court directed their immediate release, emphasizing that there was no credible evidence or investigation linking them directly to the incident.

The court stated that simply holding high-ranking positions within the organizations was insufficient justification for their arrest, especially since they were not named in the initial First Information Reports (FIRs), and no concrete evidence was presented to establish their direct involvement in the events that led to the stampede. Justice Kumar noted that the arrested individuals could not be held vicariously liable for the alleged offenses, particularly as they were not specifically named as accused persons in the FIRs.

Several lapses on the part of the city police were pointed out by the High Court. The court noted that the police did not provide the mandatory documents, such as the grounds for arrest and the arrest memo, to the arrested individuals at the time of their apprehension. The grounds of arrest were communicated to them almost 10-11 hours after their arrest. The High Court underscored that informing the arrested person of the grounds of arrest is a mandatory constitutional requirement.

The court also addressed the argument that the Central Crime Branch (CCB) lacked jurisdiction to make the arrests, as the investigation had already been transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) a day prior.

Senior Advocate Sandesh Chouta, representing Sosale, argued that his client was unfairly targeted, emphasizing that Sosale was merely an employee and not a decision-maker. Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty, opposing the bail plea, contended that RCB bore full responsibility for the stampede due to the victory parade. He argued that RCB had not obtained proper permissions for the victory parade. The announcement was made on RCB's social media account and later deleted. The state also argued that Sosale attempted to flee, purchasing air tickets at 10:56 pm for a morning flight.

The court directed the release of the four individuals from judicial custody upon the surrendering of their passports and compliance with other conditions, including cooperating with the investigation, not tampering with evidence, and executing a personal bond of ₹1 lakh each with two sureties for the like sum. They were also instructed not to leave the court's jurisdiction without prior permission.