Karnataka govt moves HC challenging CAT order reinstating IPS officer suspended over stampede
Bengaluru, Jul 2 (PTI): The Karnataka government on Wednesday approached the High Court challenging the Central Administrative Tribunal’s (CAT) order reinstating Additional Commissioner of Police Vikash Kumar Vikash, who was suspended following the tragic stampede at Chinnaswamy Stadium here last month, which claimed 11 lives and injured 56 others.
The Tribunal, on July 1, quashed Vikash’s suspension, terming the state’s action as "mechanical" and lacking substantial grounds.
The Bengaluru bench of the tribunal comprising BK Shrivastava and Santosh Mehra held that the state failed to present convincing material to justify the suspension.
"The order has not been based on convincing materials… the officers have been suspended without sufficient material or grounds," the Tribunal said, directing the state to reinstate Vikash immediately.
In response, the state government filed a writ petition before the Karnataka High Court, contending that the CAT overstepped its jurisdiction by making determinations on the incident without the benefit of a full-fledged departmental inquiry.
It termed the Tribunal’s reasoning as "perverse" and inconsistent with established legal principles concerning suspension.
According to the government, substantial supporting material—including extracts from the Karnataka Police Manual and a detailed chronology of events from June 3 and 4—was submitted in a sealed cover to the Tribunal, which it alleged was not properly considered.
"Despite placing material on record justifying the suspension, the Tribunal failed to assess it in the right perspective," the state argued.
The plea also disputes the Tribunal’s interpretation of inquiries underway, stating that a magisterial probe and a one-man commission were in progress, and that the state had already taken disciplinary action based on preliminary findings.
A departmental inquiry, initiated at the direction of the central government, is reportedly at an advanced stage. The government claimed this development was communicated orally to the Tribunal on June 30 but was overlooked in the final judgment.
Additionally, the petition objects to the Tribunal’s remarks on four other officers—B Dayananda, Shekar H Tekkannavar, C Balakrishna, and AK Girish—who were also suspended following the stampede.
The government pointed out that these officers had not challenged their suspension, nor were they parties to the case before the Tribunal.
It called the Tribunal’s suggestion of reinstating them "highly irregular", arguing that such observations were made without examining individual roles, service records, or factual context.
The High Court is yet to schedule a hearing on the state’s plea.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
