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Synopsis

The Allahabad High Court today issued notice in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) plea 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 bench of Justice Attau Rahman Masoodi and Justice Om Prakash Shukla issued notice to the Union of India, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI),  International Cricket Council (ICC), the State of Uttar Pradesh, UP Cricket Association along with the ticketing platform BookMyShow and others.

The matter has been posted for further hearing on October 19, 2023.

The PIL, filed by one Vipul Tripathi through his legal representative Piyush Pathak, alleged that the pricing structure for these matches lacks fairness and reasonableness, citing arbitrariness in the process.

Of particular contention was the decision made by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to set a base price of Rs. 499 for four out of five matches scheduled in Lucknow between October 12 and November 3. Notably, the exception to this pricing structure is the match between India and England, slated for October 29, for which ticket prices have been set at Rs. 3250.

The PIL underscored the inconsistency in ticket pricing as both highly irregular and arbitrary. It pointed out that in September 2023, the initial price for the India-England match was Rs. 1500, but it had since been increased to Rs. 3250, even though tickets had 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, it will be the first occasion that Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, would be 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, the plea alleged. 

The PIL contended that this discrimination contravened the principles of reasonableness and fairness, necessitating intervention by the high court to ensure justice.

Furthermore, the petitioner contended that the BCCI had not established any specific policy or criteria for determining ticket prices for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 matches in Lucknow.

Consequently, the PIL prayed the court to direct 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 PIL specifically sought direction to BCCI to revise the base price (Rs. 499) for the match on October 29 and fix the ticket price according to Rule 24 (10) of the BCCI's Rules and Regulations.

Case Title: Vipul Tripathi v. UOI and Others