PIL in HC Requests Guidelines to Combat Black Marketing and Scalping

Mumbai: A public interest litigation (PIL) has been submitted to the Bombay High Court, aiming to establish regulations to prevent black marketing and ticket scalping during significant events. This move comes after concerns were raised about irregularities surrounding the online ticket sales for Coldplay’s much-anticipated concert in Navi Mumbai scheduled for January 2025.

The request for an urgent hearing was brought before a division bench, consisting of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar, on Monday.

The PIL, submitted by attorney Amit Vyas, highlights multiple instances of unlawful practices occurring during ticket sales for major events, including concerts and live performances.

Vyas claims that such irregularities were evident last month when tickets for the Coldplay concert became available through the BookMyShow platform.

During the hearing, an attorney representing Vyas informed the High Court that certain unauthorized secondary websites are still offering tickets for the Coldplay concert at inflated prices.

The court acknowledged that a police investigation is currently underway and scheduled the next hearing for November, following the Diwali break.

The litigation requests that the court establish robust guidelines aimed at curtailing black marketing, ticket touting, and the scalping of online tickets for major events.

Allegations of such exploitative practices have also surfaced during other major events, including IPL matches, the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2023, and concerts featuring artists like Taylor Swift and Diljit Dosanjh, according to the PIL.

The complaint asserts that event organizers and ticketing partners often exploit fans by listing tickets on secondary platforms at unreasonable prices.

Specific issues were observed during the recent ticket sales for the Coldplay concert, where it was reported that the online ticketing platform, BookMyShow, manipulated the sale process, potentially locking users out and preventing access to ticket purchases until mid-noon on the day sales opened.

Within minutes, all tickets for the three scheduled shows were marked as sold out on BookMyShow, while similar tickets were later discovered on secondary sites at significantly higher prices.

Last month, Vyas also lodged a complaint with the city police’s Economic Offences Wing, which is now investigating the matter.

In his petition, Vyas emphasized that these illegal activities undermine the public’s fundamental right to equitable access to entertainment options.

He pointed out that the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 require e-commerce businesses to maintain fair and transparent practices. However, he contends that without adequate regulations in the ticketing industry, companies like BookMyShow are not adhering to these guidelines.