Today, On 29th August, The Bombay High Court addressing a PIL that questions the Maharashtra State government’s decision in 2023 to retroactively reduce the police protection fee for IPL matches from Rs. 25 lakh to Rs.10 lakh and to waive outstanding dues owed by the Mumbai Cricket Association.
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Thursday strongly criticized Maharashtra’s decision to retrospectively lower the police protection fees for IPL T20 cricket matches.
Chief Justice DK Upadhyay highlighted the inconsistency in the State’s approach, noting that it has been less lenient with the pricing of essential public utilities like water supply.
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The Chief Justice remarked, while addressing the State’s government pleader,
“What is this, madam? You keep increasing water charges for the public, even for slum dwellers … but reduce these fees … BCCI is one of the richest cricket associations globally. That’s how they become rich,”
A Bench comprising Chief Justice DK Upadhyay and Justice Amit Borkar reviewing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by RTI activist Anil Galgali. The PIL challenged the Maharashtra State’s decision to lower protection fees and waive outstanding arrears for police services provided during IPL T20 matches, with the changes applied retroactively from 2011.
The petition disclosed that the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) still owes Rs.14.82 crores for police protection during IPL matches held at Wankhede and Brabourne stadiums between 2013 and 2018.
According to the State government’s circular issued on June 26, 2023, the security charges were reduced from Rs.25 lakh to Rs.10 lakh, with retroactive effect.
The Court observed that the State’s fee structure had undergone multiple revisions since 2017. Initially, in 2017, the charges set at Rs.66 lakh for T20 and ODI matches in Mumbai, and Rs.44 lakh in Nagpur/Pune, with fees for test matches set at Rs.55 lakh in Mumbai and Rs.40 lakh in Nagpur/Pune.
A subsequent Government Resolution (GR) issued on November 12, 2018, increased the protection charges to Rs.75 lakh for T20 and ODI matches in Mumbai, and Rs.50 lakh in Nagpur/Pune, while the fees for Test matches adjusted to Rs.60 lakh in Mumbai and Rs.40 lakh in Nagpur/Pune.
However, the circular issued in 2023 significantly reduced these fees to Rs.10 lakh, applied retroactively a decision that the Court questioned.
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The Court now instructed the State to submit detailed affidavits justifying both the reduction in protection fees and the waiver of arrears.
The Bench specifically requested a comprehensive affidavit from the Additional Chief Secretary or another senior officer, outlining the State’s efforts to recover dues since 2011 and explaining the reasoning behind waiving the liability.
The Court scheduled the next hearing for October 7.
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