Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday said that “something is amiss”, while questioning the Maharashtra government’s justification behind reducing and waiving off police protection charges levied during cricket matches in the state with a retrospective effect from the year 2011.
The government contended that the decision was taken keeping in view the financial benefits to the State exchequer by conducting such matches in the state. Also, the security charges in other states were much lesser.
The HC was hearing a public interest litigation by RTI activist Anil Galgali challenging government’s decision to reduce the fees for police protection provided during cricket matches in the state. The plea pointed out that the police is yet to recover arrears of Rs14.82 crore from the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) for the IPL matches held at Wankhede and Brabourne stadiums from 2013 to 2018.
The court wondered how could there be a comparison between matches held in Mumbai and other cities like Lucknow or Kanpur. “Is the security expenditure incurred in a match held in Mumbai the same as the one held in Lucknow? What is this justification? Something is amiss,” a bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar said.
State’s counsel Milind Sathe sais that there has been demands by the cricket associations for reducing the fees, considering lower rates in other states. Hence, decision was taken to reduce the fees.
The bench said that when the matches were held in the state, the organisers were informed about the charges and they had agreed, hence they were liable to pay the same.
When Sathe said that it was their duty to maintain law and order, the judge said they could have provided security with any charges but there already was a circular leaving charges for providing police protection.
“You (government) could have provided the security without charge but you had issued a government resolution (in the past fixing charges for security cover for matches) and made them know that they will be charged. They hosted the matches and now after ten years you are revising the fees,” the judges said.
Advocate for the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) said there were some discrepancies in the pending charge shown by the State. “We wil verify our records and file affidavit. As far as Kumbai in concerned, no fees are pending,” the advocate said.
The bench then asked BCCI and Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to file their respective affidavits by the next date of hearing on December 17.
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An affidavit was filed by the deputy commissioner of local arms Sanseep Jadhav stating that they have recovered over Rs14.87 crore from organisers who availed police bandobast for international, World Cup. Test and T-20 matches held in various stadiums in Mumbai.