The Karnataka government defended its decision to suspend IPS officer Vikash Kumar over last month's stampede at Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium, telling the High Court that senior police officials behaved like "servants of RCB" during the incident.

State Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty argued that the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) order overstepped its authority and should be suspended. He informed the court that the Union government had approved the suspension of Vikash and other IPS officers on June 5, citing neglect of duty.

During court proceedings, the state's legal representative asserted that the involved police officers "acted as servants of RCB." He explained that Royal Challengers Bengaluru had submitted an application to police regarding their victory celebration plans even before the coin toss for the final IPL 2025 match between RCB and Punjab Kings.

"The officers began arranging security measures without questioning who had authorized the event," the counsel stated, highlighting the lack of proper protocol followed by the police force.

The suspended Bengaluru police officer Vikash Kumar has challenged the Karnataka government's order in the Central Administrative Tribunal following the stampede incident that occurred outside the cricket stadium during the IPL final match.