State moves Karnataka High Court against CAT order quashing suspension of ACP Vikash Kumar

The State government has moved the Karnataka High Court challenging the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) order which set aside the suspension of Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) Vikash Kumar Vikash in the wake of the recent Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede that left 11 people dead..On July 1, a coram of BK Shrivastava and Santosh Mehra had held that the suspension order was passed mechanically without sufficient grounds."In view of this Tribunal the (government) order Annexure - A3 has been passed in a mechanical manner and the order is not based upon the convincing materials. The Police officers have been suspended without any sufficient material or grounds. Hence, the aforesaid order is liable to be quashed," the Tribunal had said.It had thus directed the State to reinstate Vikash immediately..11 people died and 56 people were left injured after a stampede took place outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on June 4, where a large crowd had gathered to greet the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) cricket team after they won the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.Thereafter, the Karnataka government suspended Vikash, B Dayananda, Shekar H Tekkannavar, C Balakrishna (Assistant Commissioner of Police, Cubbon Park) and AK Girish (Police Inspector, Cubbon Park) in connection with the tragedy for dereliction of duty.Vikash then moved CAT challenging the suspension order, which was allowed on July 1. However, now the State has moved the High Court against CAT's order..The State alleges that the Tribunal proceeded to make specific findings regarding the entire incident, as though a departmental enquiry had been conducted and sufficient evidence was placed before it to draw such conclusions. This approach by the Tribunal is wholly perverse and runs contrary to the settled principles governing judicial interference in suspension matters, it said."Apart from that the contents of the Suspension Order, the State Government had placed on record the relevant extracts of the Karnataka Police Manual and also the analysis of the sequence of events that had unfolded on 03-06-2025 and 04-06-2025, which were submitted in a sealed cover to the Tribunal and substantial material was placed before the Tribunal in justification of the suspension order. The Hon'ble CAT without considering the said material on record in its right perspective has quashed the Suspension Order," the plea avers..The plea further states that the Tribunal has completely misinterpreted the constitution of the magisterial inquiry and the one-man inquiry commission to conclude that the State government has yet to identify those responsible for the stampede.The State contends that pursuant to the initial findings and in accordance with the relevant service rules, the suspension order issued against Vikash was confirmed by the competent authority. Additionally, the Central government directed the initiation of a departmental inquiry, which is now at an advanced stage and the same was orally informed to the Tribunal on June 30."However, the same has not been considered by the Tribunal in its final order and the same ought to have been atleast noticed by the Tribunal before passing the final order especially in the context of Rule 3 of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969," it adds..Moreover, the plea avers that the Tribunal has made observations and suggestions regarding the reinstatement of four other officers who neither approached the Tribunal nor are parties to the present proceedings. Such a blanket recommendation made without examining individual facts, service records, or the specific roles of those officers in the incident is highly irregular, it contends."The Tribunal has rendered an opinion on matters outside the pleadings and beyond the record, which clearly reflects a prejudicial approach and a departure from settled legal principles."