Karnataka HC Closes PIL After Govt Assures Action on Crowd Control Bill
Court closes proceedings on stadium stampede case, allows revival if required
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Monday disposed of a public interest litigation after the state government assured that key suggestions related to the proposed crowd management law had been examined during legislative deliberations.
The assurance was given in connection with the Karnataka Crowd Control (Managing Crowd at Events and Places of Gathering) Bill, 2025, currently under consideration by the Assembly.
Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty informed the court that the draft standard operating procedures (SOPs), along with recommendations made by the amicus curiae, were placed before the legislature. He said the Bill had been referred to a committee for consultation and that its inputs were also taken into account.
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Senior advocate S. Susheela, assisting the court in the suo motu proceedings initiated last year following the Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede, pointed out certain perceived gaps between the draft SOPs and the proposed law.
After recording the state’s submission, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Poonacha closed the petition. However, the court granted liberty to the amicus curiae to seek revival of the matter if circumstances warrant further intervention.
The PIL had been registered in the aftermath of the stadium tragedy, prompting judicial scrutiny of crowd management mechanisms at large public gatherings in the state.
