The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has quashed the Karnataka government’s suspension order against senior IPS officer Vikash Kumar Vikash, who was suspended following the deadly stampede outside Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4, which claimed 11 lives.
Vikash had challenged the government’s June 5 suspension order before the CAT, which also named Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda and DCP Shekar H Tekkannavar. The Bengaluru bench, comprising Justice B K Shrivastava and administrative member Santhosh Mehra, reserved its verdict on June 24 and delivered the ruling on Tuesday, setting aside Vikash’s suspension.
Senior advocate Dhyan Chinappa, representing Vikash, said the tribunal annulled the suspension and affirmed that the officer is entitled to all benefits as per service rules. The CAT noted its findings could also extend to the cases of Dayananda and Tekkannavar, potentially paving the way for their reinstatement.
Following the tragedy, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had suspended Dayananda, Vikash, Tekkannavar, Assistant Commissioner of Police C Balakrishna, and Circle Inspector A K Girish for alleged lapses in planning and crowd control. The IPS officers were suspended under the All India Services (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, 1969, while action against the ACP and PI proceeded under state police disciplinary rules.
According to the government, the police failed to formally reject RCB’s June 4 victory parade plan despite being informed on June 3, and did not prepare adequately for the expected crowd surge after RCB and the Cricket Association publicized the event. The lack of tickets or passes and insufficient crowd management led to chaos, fatalities, and severe criticism of the administration.
