[Coldplay Tickets Row] PIL Against ‘Ticket Scalping’ And ‘Black Marketing’ Of Online Tickets At Major Events: Bombay HC

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The PIL, filed by advocate Amit Vyas, was mentioned on Monday before a division bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar for urgent hearing.

Mumbai: On Monday (Oct 21): A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Bombay High Court, seeking the formulation of guidelines to curb black marketing and ticket scalping at major events.

The plea comes in light of alleged irregularities during the online sale of tickets for British band Coldplay’s highly anticipated concert in Navi Mumbai, scheduled for January 2025.

The PIL, filed by advocate Amit Vyas, was mentioned on Monday before a division bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar for urgent hearing.

It highlights various illegalities in ticket sales for large-scale events such as concerts and live shows. The petition claims similar issues arose during the ticket sale for the Coldplay concert last month on the BookMyShow platform.

Advocate Ankita Singhania, representing Vyas, brought up the PIL on Monday before a bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar. The bench scheduled the matter for hearing after the Diwali vacation.

“An inquiry is already underway. This PIL can wait,” the bench remarked orally. The case is expected to be heard on November 11.

The PIL urges the court to establish strict guidelines to prevent black marketing, ticket touting, and scalping of online tickets for major events. It draws attention to similar malpractices witnessed during the 2023 IPL and Cricket World Cup matches, as well as concerts by Taylor Swift and Diljit Dosanjh.

The petition alleges that event organizers and ticketing partners exploit fans by offering tickets on secondary websites at exorbitant prices. It claims that when tickets for the Coldplay concert were released on BookMyShow, users were abruptly logged out and unable to complete their purchases. Although the platform displayed all three shows as sold out within minutes, tickets soon appeared on resale websites at inflated prices.

READ ALSO: [Concert Ticket Resale] “Create a Regulatory Framework, Preventing Unlawful Sales & Ensuring Authorized Platforms”: Plea In Delhi HC

Vyas had previously lodged a complaint with the Economic Offences Wing of the Mumbai Police, prompting an ongoing inquiry.

The plea argues that these unlawful practices deprive individuals of their fundamental right to equal access to public entertainment.

Furthermore, it points out that the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 require e-commerce platforms to ensure fair and transparent practices. However, in the absence of sector-specific regulations for ticketing, platforms like BookMyShow allegedly continue to operate without compliance.

Click Here to Read Previous Reports On Bookmyshow

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