Tribunal Overturns Suspension of Senior IPS Officer After Chaos at Stadium

The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has annulled the suspension of senior IPS officer Vikash Kumar Vikash. This suspension followed a fatal stampede at M Chinnaswamy Stadium last month, which resulted in the loss of 11 lives and drew criticism for inadequate planning and crowd management.

The tribunal's ruling, announced Tuesday, potentially paves the way for reinstatement for other key officials involved in the incident, including then Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda and DCP Shekar H Tekkannavar. The verdict criticized the procedural flaws in planning the event, despite being informed in advance, which failed to prevent the tragic outcome.

Senior advocate Dhyan Chinappa, representing Vikash, confirmed that the tribunal granted his petition and extinguished the suspension, reinstating his service benefits. The government had earlier suspended the officers due to procedural lapses in managing the large turnout, caused in part by the lack of a structured ticketing system and untimely communication with the authorities.