A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Allahabad High Court raising concerns over ticket pricing discrepancies for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 matches to be held at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
The PIL, filed by one Vipul Tripathi through his legal representative Piyush Pathak, alleges that the pricing structure for these matches lacks fairness and reasonableness, citing arbitrariness in the process.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has set a base price of Rs 499 for four out of five matches scheduled in Lucknow between October 12 and November 3. The exception to this pricing structure is the match between India and England, slated for October 29, for which the ticket prices have been set at Rs 3,250.
The PIL underscored the “inconsistency” in ticket pricing as both highly “irregular and arbitrary”. It states that “in September 2023, the initial price for the India-England match ticket was Rs 1,500, but it has since been hiked to Rs 3,250, even though tickets have not yet been made available for purchase”.
The petitioner argued that the BCCI holds significant public responsibilities and functions akin to a state entity, as it exercises comprehensive control over players, umpires, and other officials. “Moreover, this is the first occasion that Lucknow is hosting the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. As a result, individuals from economically disadvantaged backgrounds may be compelled to purchase tickets at rates exceeding Rs 499 to watch their own country’s team,” it stated.
The PIL contended that this discrimination contravenes the principles of reasonableness and fairness, necessitating intervention by the court to ensure justice.
Furthermore, the petitioner said the BCCI has not established any specific policy or criteria for determining ticket prices for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 matches in Lucknow.
The PIL has sought directions for the BCCI to review and amend the ticket price policies for the current World Cup and establish transparent criteria and procedures for determining cricket prices. The plea has specifically sought directions to the BCCI to revise the base price (Rs 499) for the match on October 29 and fix it according to Rule 24 (10) of the BCCI’s Rules and Regulations.
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