Karnataka challenges CAT order reinstating suspended IPS officer

The Karnataka government has moved the High Court against a Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) order that reinstated IPS officer Vikash Kumar Vikash, who was suspended after a tragic stampede at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru last month. The incident claimed 11 lives and left 56 injured.

On July 1, the Bengaluru bench of the Tribunal—comprising BK Shrivastava and Santosh Mehra—called the state’s action mechanical and lacking valid grounds. It held that Vikash was suspended without strong evidence and directed the state to reinstate him immediately.

Challenging this, the state government argued in its writ petition that CAT overstepped its jurisdiction by passing such an order before a departmental inquiry could be completed. It said the Tribunal ignored crucial material, including a sealed cover containing extracts from the Karnataka Police Manual and a timeline of events from June 3 and 4.

The government called the Tribunal’s reasoning perverse and against legal norms on suspension, claiming the inquiry process is already underway and based on preliminary findings. It also said the Tribunal was informed orally on June 30 about the progress of a departmental probe, but this was not considered.

Further, the petition criticised the Tribunal’s remarks on four other officers—B Dayananda, Shekar H Tekkannavar, C Balakrishna, and AK Girish—who were also suspended but were not part of the case. The state said the CAT had no grounds to comment on them. The High Court is yet to hear the petition.