3-year jail term, Rs 5,000 fine: Karnataka proposes crowd control law

The Karnataka government has proposed a new legislation, Karnataka Crowd Control Bill, 2025, in the aftermath of the June 4 stampede in Bengaluru.The draft bill, which was taken up for discussion in a cabinet meeting today, aims to regulate large gatherings and prevent any such incidents in the future. The draft law proposes stringent penalties, including up to three years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000 fine for violations.advertisementThe draft proposes to regulate and manage crowds at 'sponsored events and mass gatherings' in Karnataka — such as political rallies, and conferences.
However, the bill exempts traditional and religious gatherings such as fairs, Rathotsava (chariot festivals), Pallakki Utsava (palanquin processions), boat festivals (Teppada Teru or Teppotsava), Urs (also called as Urus) events, and other religious celebrations.Under the Karnataka Crowd Control Bill, anyone who disobeys police orders or violates the law can be punished with imprisonment or fine, or both. For commercial event planners — like those organising sports or circus shows — stricter penalties apply if they fail to get police permission, cannot manage the crowd, don't compensate for any harm caused, or violate the law in any way.In such cases, the punishment can be up to three years in jail, a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh, or both. If an event leads to death or injury because of missing permissions or negligence by the organiser, it is treated as a punishable offence. All offences under this law are non-cognisable, non-bailable and will be handled by a first-class magistrate.advertisementAccording to the draft bill, the government constitutes 'Event Planners' as individuals or groups organising mass gatherings, as notified by the government, while 'Crowd' is explained as a large, often unruly gathering at notified events like political rallies or conferences.The bill is expected to get a green signal at the next cabinet meeting.The Congress-led Karnataka government faced heavy criticism after the stampede, in which 11 people died and over 60 others were injured. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar, especially faced backlash for what people called 'utter mismanagement' and crowd control.The government, on its part, suspended top police officials in the city and arrested four individuals – Royal Challengers Bengaluru's marketing head and three connected with the event organiser DNA Entertainment Networks.

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