Read Time: 06 minutes

Synopsis

Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has issued a second summons to BookMyShow CEO Ashish Hemrajani in connection with allegations of ticket black marketing for Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres World Tour, set to take place in Mumbai in January 2025. The fresh summons, issued to Hemrajani and the company's technical head on Sunday, requires both to appear before the investigating officer today, September 30, 2024 to record their statements regarding the ongoing investigation.The second summons against the CEO comes after he skipped the previous summons requiring his attendance on September 27.

The EOW had initially summoned the company officials after a formal complaint was lodged by Advocate Amit Vyas. The complaint alleged that the online ticketing platform was involved in facilitating ticket black marketing for Coldplay's Music Of The Spheres World Tour, which will be held in DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai from January 19 to 21, 2025. Vyas claimed that tickets for the concert, priced between Rs 2,500 and Rs 12,500, were being sold at inflated rates by third-party sellers and scalpers on unauthorised platforms, including Viagogo and Gigsberg.

In response to the summons, BookMyShow emphasised its stance against unauthorised ticket sales and clarified that it had no association with any third-party resellers or these unauthorised platforms. The company in its statement said, “BookMyShow has no association with any ticket selling / reselling platforms such as Viagogo and Gigsberg or third party individuals for the purpose of reselling of Coldplay's Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025 in India. Scalping is strictly condemned and punishable by law in India…We urge you not to fall victim to these scams. Any tickets bought from unauthorised sources will be at the risk of the consumer, and can turn out to be fake tickets. Beware of such scammers.” The ticketing platform also filed a police complaint against these third-party sellers, highlighting the risks of counterfeit tickets and potential financial loss for consumers.

BookMyShow explained that the overwhelming demand for Coldplay tickets, with an estimated 1.3 crore people attempting to access the website and app on the day of the sale, contributed to the recent controversy. The company had implemented a queueing system to manage the high volume of traffic, which caused some delays but was intended to ensure fair access for genuine fans. In addition, due to the unprecedented demand, BookMyShow added a third show in Mumbai, which was also well-received by the public.

While acknowledging the frustration of fans, BookMyShow defended its practices, noting that it had implemented a cap of four tickets per user across all shows, and maintained transparency throughout the process. It also highlighted that despite the initial technical challenges, the company's efforts to provide equal access to tickets remained a priority.

The Coldplay concert in Mumbai will mark the band's first return to India since their 2016 performance at the Global Citizen Festival. Fans had eagerly awaited the announcement, but the process of securing tickets was marred by server crashes, long wait times, and overwhelming demand, creating a significant amount of frustration among ticket buyers.