RCB marketing head Nikhil Sosale granted interim release, passport detained

Following the tragic stampede outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, the Karnataka High Court has granted bail to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Head of Marketing & Revenue, Nikhil Sosale, while ordering him to surrender his passport. The move comes in the wake of a stampede on June 4 during RCB’s IPL 2025 victory celebrations, which claimed 11 lives and injured over 50 people.

The stampede occurred outside the stadium after RCB announced free entry for fans to celebrate the team’s success on June 4. The event saw lakhs of fans show up, leading to chaos outside the stadium and claiming 11 lives and injuring over 50 people.

Nikhil, along with Sunil Mathew (Vice President - Business Affairs) and Kiran Kumar (Senior Event Manager) from DNA Entertainment Network, the event management partner of RCB, were arrested in the early hours of June 6. Sosale was detained at the airport by the Central Crime Branch. A fourth accused, Shamant N.P. Mavinakere, a freelance ticketing executive, was also taken into custody. All four were sent to Parappana Agrahara Central Prison.

The police FIR pointed fingers at the event organisers for failing to regulate the crowd despite knowing the potential scale of turnout. The FIR stated that confusion in entry management played a direct role in the stampede.

The arrests sparked legal debates, especially after Sosale’s counsel challenged their legality in the Karnataka High Court. The defence argued that the arrests were politically influenced, citing alleged instructions from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to detain RCB officials. They also contended that the police had no jurisdiction in the matter and arrested the individuals without sufficient investigation or evidence of culpability. 

Justice S.R. Krishna Kumar of the Karnataka High Court eventually ruled in favour of granting bail to all four accused, including Sosale. However, the court imposed conditions, notably asking Sosale to surrender his passport to prevent any chance of evasion.