Calcutta High Court Reserves Order on Probe into Messi Event Chaos

A division bench of the Calcutta High Court has reserved the order on a plea for a central agency probe into the “mismanagement” during an event at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on December 13 involving Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi. Chaos and vandalism erupted within the stadium during the event. The hearings for the public interest litigations, demanding a central agency probe into both the chaos and financial irregularities related to ticket sales for the event, were concluded by the Division Bench of Calcutta High Court’s Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen on Monday.
At the end of the hearing, the Division Bench chose to reserve the order. The counsels for the petitioners argued during the hearings that a central agency probe was necessary as the parallel probes conducted by the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-appointed probe committee and a special investigation team of the state police were deemed unreliable.
The petitioners’ counsels further contended that, apart from the scheduled event featuring Messi at Salt Lake Stadium, he was involved in other unscheduled programs due to the influence of certain individuals. This caused him to arrive late at the stadium. Consequently, spectators who had purchased tickets at high prices were unable to have a clear view of the soccer star as he was surrounded by politically influential individuals and their family members. This situation agitated the spectators, leading to chaos and vandalism.
The state government’s counsel argued that Messi’s security at the stadium was the responsibility of the central armed police forces. The lawyer also outlined the measures taken by the state government to address the mismanagement and chaos.